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While the recollection of one’s childhood dreams might seem absurd now, this is not the case for a few individuals who fulfilled their adolescent fantasies by becoming astronauts.
Six astronauts from the Space Shuttle Endeavour STS-126 mission made the last stop of their tour to speak with Ramstein students Feb. 5.
“I am deployed out of this world,” said Army Lt. Col. Shane Kimbrough, who was a mission specialist on the Endeavour. “But there is nothing better than my job, and I wouldn’t trade my experience for the world.”
The students greatly anticipated the astronauts’ presentations and they were not disappointed.
“The opportunity for the students to meet real life astronauts is quite wonderful,” said Gerry Adams, Ramstein Middle School sixth grade science teacher. “The kids need to see them and realize they are real people who get to do extreme adventures. These astronauts are out there doing these exciting and rewarding careers, and by meeting them, the students realize they can too.”
The students had the opportunity to ask questions and all seemed to wonder about the food.
“You have to Velcro everything or else your utensils are flying around, along with your drink,” said Colonel Kimbrough with a chuckle. “Everything is freeze dried. You could compare them to meals-ready-to-eat.”
When asked by the curious students what the best thing about being in space was, it was hard for the colonel to decide.
“It is a really great feeling to be weightless, but I also love spacewalks,” he said. “And, you can’t beat looking at the earth through the space station’s
windows.”
At the end of the presentation, the students were quite pleased with everything they had learned.
“They were amazing,” said sixth-grader Quinton Dietz. “It is so cool to learn about space travel and to be able to hear their stories and what they have seen.”
From his inspiration to become an astronaut to present day, Colonel Kimbrough talked of when he knew he wanted to become an astronaut.
“Buzz Aldrin, the second person to step on the moon, inspired me to become an astronaut,” Colonel Kimbrough said. “I remember when I was a little kid, seeing him on the television and deciding I was going to become an astronaut. When I joined the Army, I thought the dream was gone, but some years down the road my dream came true.”
Colonel Kimbrough reminded the students their dreams can also come true with hard work.
“If you hope to walk on the moon one day, do well in math and science,” he said. “Study hard, and maybe you can be an astronaut one day.”
It was not only a great experience for the students, but the Endeavour crew was also excited about the chance to highlight their mission.
“It was a great experience to be able to share with the students what we do,” said Navy Capt. Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, whose NASA team launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida Nov. and returned Nov. 30. “Their questions and curiosity never seems to fail. I love showing them they can be whatever they want to be.”
Ramstein was the last stop of the Endeavour’s tour after the NASA team visited troops downrange.
“Being able to go downrange this trip was a great experience for us all,” Colonel Kimbrough said. “We just love to thank all military members for their
service. It’s a real thrill to look them in the face and tell them we are proud of what they do.”
Also included in the Endeavour crew were Navy Capt. Shane Ferguson, mission commander, and Col. Eric Boe, Navy Capt. Steve Bowen and Donald Pettit, who are all mission specialists.
The last leg of the crew’s trip was deemed a success and reminded everyone childhood dreams
can come true.
