2002 Astronaut Scholar Annual Meeting
Astronaut Scholars who attended the 2002 Astronaut Scholars Weekend made the following comments:
- I am totally in awe!
- This event could have been more cool — but only if you had arranged for us to fly on the Space Shuttle 5 times!
- I'm overwhelmed. I cant believe we were able to spend this much time with the astronauts. These are my heroes!
These sentiments were expressed on the third day of the event, after spending almost 3 hours at a private luncheon with astronauts from the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and Space Shuttle programs. Included were all four surviving Mercury astronauts: John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Wally Schirra, and Gordon Cooper plus Mrs. Betty Grissom, widow of Mercury astronaut Gus Grissom; Gemini/Apollo astronauts Jim Lovell and Dick Gordon; Skylab and Space Shuttle astronaut Owen Garriott; Space Shuttle astronaut Bob Crippen; and the honorary eighth Mercury astronaut Bill Dana, the comedian who portrayed Jose Jimenez during the Mercury program. ASF Executive Director Howard Benedict and Associate Director Linn LeBlanc were instrumental in organizing such a special time for the scholars and astronauts to be together. ASF members, including Dr. Harvey (Al) Miller, Scholarship Chairman, were also in attendance to meet the outstanding young scientists and engineers who are supported by ASF.
Each Astronaut Scholar had prepared a poster to describe their current professional, academic, and research pursuits, and these posters were available in the lobby of the restaurant for viewing by the astronauts and ASF members. This was very well received and provided a platform for launching many interesting discussions during lunch.
The incredible luncheon was the capstone of the four-day event, which also included a VIP tour of Kennedy Space Center, the annual meeting of the Astronaut Scholars Honor Society (ASHS), a tour of the Give Kids the World Village, and several social events. New bonds of friendship and scientific collaboration were formed during this annual meeting, and several scholars have stayed in touch with each other.
Many of the astronauts and ASF members have commented that the annual meeting reaffirms their commitment to the scholarship program because the scholars are so outstanding. The importance and diversity of the work being done by our Astronaut Scholars is truly making a difference in ensuring Americas leading position in science and technology.