1999 Astronaut Scholar Annual Meeting
The fourth annual Astronaut Scholar weekend was held in Orlando, Florida on May 6–9, 1999. Current and past recipients of the Astronaut Scholarship (formerly Mercury Seven Scholarship) attended and were able to meet and mingle with approximately 10 astronauts from the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle programs.
Astronaut Scholars were treated to a VIP tour of Kennedy Space Center and the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. Accompanying them on the KSC tour was Charlie Buckley, former chief of security at KSC from before the first Mercury flight until the first Space Shuttle flight. Charlie initiated the idea of this annual tour when he met Lisa Beeson at a fund-raising dinner sponsored by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) and the Space Coast Press Club in 1996 and heard about the Astronaut Scholars annual meeting. Each year, he helps to coordinate the tour and travels around KSC with the scholars, relating stories from the early space pioneering days. Charlie adds a quality to the visit that no other visitors are privileged to experience. The group was also granted a rare chance to visit both shuttle launch pads. One was under refurbishment at the time and the other had a shuttle on the pad with the gantry swung away, allowing full visibility of the orbiter. At the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, the scholars were hosted on a guided tour, where many of the artifacts and features of the attraction were explained.
The Astronaut Scholars Honor Society (ASHS), alumni association for ASF, holds it annual business meeting each year in conjunction with the other activities of this weekend. This provides an opportunity for the ASHS to further accomplishment of its Vision Statement and develop a strong network of scientists and engineers who will take ASF into the future along with advancing science and technology in America.
As a result of last year's meeting, several scholars are working together to develop and implement a project in NASA's student microgravity research program, better known as the Vomit Comet. Though it will be a serious scientific endeavor, it will also be a lot of fun for the Astronaut Scholars who have so much respect for the astronauts who have left the bonds of Earth's gravity themselves.
The scholars had plenty of time to get acquainted at social events in Orlando. Many found common interests in their professional or academic pursuits, and bonds of friendship were formed which have lasted through the year. Many of the same scholars, along with some new faces will be gathering again this year, for a similar good time.