What a Weekend

FISHERMEN'S FESTIVAL: On Saturday morning we headed to the base of our hill for what has become one of our favorite annual events, the Fishermen's Fall Festival. 

It's the day when Fishermen's Terminal, home of the North Pacific Fishing Fleet (including many of "The Deadliest Catch" boats) turns into a quasi carnival, complete with games, art and education stations.

Above, CJ and Annabelle are seen building boats. Over the years their designs have become a bit more sophisticated and their hammering a bit better.

They also made some colorful prints made by painting latex sea creatures and rubbing paper over the wet paint. And they made some clay sea creatures perched on scallop shells.

They also always look forward to the spin art booth, where they customize spinning Frisbees with squirts of paint.

The highlight of the festival, however, is always the live trout pond. Some super hungry trout are packed into a pretty small area and kids throw in baited hooks which are almost instantaneously chomped on by the fish. CJ caught one so quickly, I didn't even get a shot of him. Annabelle's fish stole the bait the first time. The second hungry fish wasn't so lucky.

The kids are given the choice of catch and release or keep. Both CJ and Annabelle (at the coaxing of their fish loving father) kept their catch. Christian had them for dinner. Mmm Mmm good.  

STARS IN OUR EYES: On Sunday, we attended a phenomenal event at The Museum of Flight: The Wings of Heroes gala panel discussion and book signing. On the agenda were two stellar panels of space flight superstars. 

The morning's panel featured:

• Buzz Aldrin - NASA astronaut, Apollo 11 -- First manned moon landing, Gemini 12
• Jerry Bostick - NASA mission controller for Apollo 13 and other moon program missions, shuttle program deputy manager
• Milton Windler - NASA mission controller for Apollo 13 and other moon program missions, Skylab, space shuttle
• Gerald Carr - NASA astronaut, Skylab 4 (1974)
• Owen Garriott - NASA astronaut, Skylab 3 (1973), shuttle mission STS-9 (1983)
• Jack Lousma - NASA astronaut, Skylab 3 (1973), shuttle mission STS-3 (1982)

Below are Aldrin, Bostick and Windler as the panel took the stage.

We heard some remarkable stories from these men.

Buzz opened the show by reading an excerpt from an upcoming book he's publishing with National Geographic in May of 2013. Before reading it, Buzz confessed, "I don't know how to write very well," so he finds someone who can put his stories down on paper. 

The passage is from the book's final chapter and it's called "The Clarion Call." 

Aldrin said he believes it's human's destiny to explore and expand into and settle into the universe, and he called for a "rekindling of the American spirit" to re-start the passion for the space exploration program. 

Aldrin said youngsters are often told, "The world is yours," but said he believes the more correct statement is "The worldS are yours. ... Earth isn't the only world for us anymore," he declared. Rather, it's time to think about "homesteading our solar system," he suggested.

Buzz said he was a reader of sci fi books as a child and young man, and back then man hadn't left the planet, so he and others "had to bank on imagination." 

Buzz said, "Every time I gaze at the moon, I feel like I'm on a time machine." And he realizes that while only a handful of men have stood on the moon, the men of Apollo 11 felt like "the entire world took that journey with us." 

Aldrin also spoke at length about Neil Armstrong, and what a remarkable man he was. He said there was "global mourning" at the news of Armstrong's death. Buzz said he had been looking forward to celebrating the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 with Armstrong and that "it never occurred to me that our commander might be the first of us to pass on. ... He was the best pilot I ever knew," Buzz declared. "He was soft spoken and reserved and advocated quietly for space exploration, behind the scenes." 

Seems to me Aldrin and Armstrong were kind of Yin and Yang. 

CJ was one of a handful of people who got to ask a question of the panel after the presentation. He asked Buzz Aldrin if he'd like to go on a mission to Mars.

Earlier, Aldrin had shared that he and Neil Armstrong disagreed about what NASA's next big mission should be. Armstrong favored a return to the moon, while Aldrin is advocating for Mars. (Buzz did later say he wouldn't be against "mining the moon ... and selling the water to the Chinese to drink." Yowza.)

Despite recommending NASA have the Red Planet in their sites, Aldrin told CJ and the crowd that in college he was a sprinter and a pole vaulter and duration events weren't his gig. Interesting. 

This is the second time we've been lucky enough to see Aldrin in Seattle. This man is a spitfire wrapped in barbed wire. Definitely one of a kind. 

Today marked the first time we've been in the presence of Sky Lab astronauts. It was a pleasure to hear and meet Gerald Carr. 

While a panelist, he answered a question about the key to the future for students today and he said, "Education!" without hesitation. Carr noted that the University of Washington is part of the NASA Space Grant Consortium and that some students there benefit from Astronaut Scholarship Foundation funds. Carr, and the other panelists, are staunch advocates of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. 

Carr said one of the things he took away from his time in space and "looking down at the Earth and seeing the beauty of it" is that "we need to take care of our planet."

At that, former Mission Controller Jerry Bostick noted that "some of them didn't get it," and said (paraphrasing) that some astronauts were really just worker bees, not looking at the big picture of where they were.

Bostick's gigs included Apollo 13, so it was super cool CJ and Annabelle were able to meet him so soon after watching the movie "Apollo 13." 

Bostick said he hopes the "desire for people to keep looking over the hill" will keep our space program going. "It's almost a spiritual thing ... a dream we have to keep alive." 

Carr said that using the stars for navigation in space is a challenge "because it's not what you're used to seeing." On Earth humans are familiar with bright stars and familiar constellations, but up on space "the soup of stars gets a lot thicker." 

After the panel, Carr was happy to smile for the camera for a photo with the kids (over Annabelle's shoulder). Too bad the kids weren't as "on" as the astronaut. ;)

Jack Lousma was a hoot. He make more than one crack alluding to the fact that he was more fighter pilot than rocket scientist. 

He's a Michigan grand and a USMC-trained pilot.  He was a member of the second manned crew on Skylab (1973) and commanded the third space shuttle mission (STS-3).

Lousma said he and his crewmates "found all kinds of ways to make excuses" to extend their extra-vehicular activities (EVAs), or spacewalks. "We'd make more work to do," and extend the EVA to the maximum 6 hours. Having experienced both Skylab and STS missions, Lousma said he favored the former, explaining, "I'd rather spend two months on a duration mission than 8 days on a camping trip on the shuttle."

Also on the panel was Milton Windler, a flight director for Apollo 10, 12, 13, 14 and 15.  

We enjoyed hearing from astronaut Owen Garriott. He's a smart dude and uses big words. I like that. :) He's a PhD, with a degree in electrical engineering and he's an Air Force pilot. Garriott spent 60 days aboard Skylab in 1972, and 10 days aboard Spacelab-1 on a space shuttle mission in 1983. Garriott said much of his time aboard Skylab was spent studying the corona of the sun. 

In doing a little reading about Garriott after we got home, it was interesting to learn that his son, Richard, was the founder of Ultima video games. That made Richard a mint, and he went on to become one of just 7 (mega wealthy) space tourists to fly to the ISS. So both father and son are astronauts, though their paths were QUITE different. 

One of the things Garriott talked about was repairs he helped perform on Skylab, when its hull was damaged after take off on May 14, 1973, making radiation a problem for those on board. In just a few short days, NASA gurus came up with a solution - a space age parasol of sorts, 24 square feet in size. The fix was sent up to Skylab on May 28. Garriott called the problem-to-solution process "NASA's finest 10 days."

Bostick noted that while robots certainly have their place in space, In a situation such as the Skylab crisis, "It takes eyes and hands of humans to (fix) it." 

Christian had a chance to ask the panel a question. It was about sleep, and not the mechanics of it, but if the astronauts' dreams changed while they were in space. 

Garriott noted that the medical folks on ground could tell when the astronauts were dreaming, due to electrodes hooked to their head. Garriott said his sleep - the amount of REM, specifically - was about the same. 

Carr said he found he needed less sleep in space, about 7 hours instead of the 8 NASA prescribed. He also shared that on Day 53 in space, in his dreams he was no longer walking, but floating from place to place. Fascinating. 

Lousma said that he and other astronauts experienced flashes in their eyes when they were trying to sleep. "They would streak and explode ... like a fireworks display before you sleep." 

After researching the phenomenon, scientists determined that these flashes were actually cosmic particles passing through the shell of the spacecraft and right through the astronauts themselves. "They'd hit your retina and cause flashes of light." On Earth, the  Van Allen Belt protects us from such particles. 

Seeing all these Skylab astronauts inspired some Magnadoodle art from Annabelle.

The afternoon brought out the cosmonauts! And not just any cosmonauts, but a couple of absolute legends. The 1 p.m. panel:

• Alexey Leonov - Cosmonaut, Voskhod 2 (1965 - the first human to ever spacewalk!), Soyuz 19/Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (1975)
• Valery Kubasov - Cosmonaut, Soyuz 6 (1969), Soyuz 19/Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (1975), Soyuz 36/Salyut-6 space station (1980)
• Charles Simonyi - Spaceflight participant, Soyuz TMA-10, 9 (2007), 14 and 13 (2009).
• Sy Liebergot - NASA flight controller for missions including Apollo 13 and Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
• Glynn Lunney - NASA mission controller for Apollo 13 and other moon program missions, manager of Apollo-Soyuz Test Project and shuttle program

The room was absolutely rapt listening to Leonov's stories. He spoke mostly in Russian, with his daughter serving as his translator.

He shared a harrowing account about his spacewalk during Voskhod 2, the first human to perform an extra vehicular activity (EVA).  He was damn near killed in a number of ways during the event. First, when he exited the vehicle the pressure inside his suit caused it to expand so dramatically that his hands and feet came out of the gloves and boots. He had to manually let air out via a hose (definitely NOT standard operating procedure) and then when he made his way back to his ship, his suit was still too big and he couldn't get back in. He struggled mightily, and said he was sweating so profusely he was blind. He finally miraculously made it back. 

Alexey also spent some time speaking fondly of NASA astronaut Tom Stafford, whom he met through the Apollo-Soyuz mission. It was the final flight of the Apollo program was the first spaceflight in which spacecraft from different nations docked in space. It was July of 1975 when the U.S. Apollo spacecraft carrying a crew of three docked with a Russian Soyuz spacecraft with its crew of two. Alexey recounted how communication was difficult at first. The Soviets had learned English, and the Americans had learned Russian, but the Soviets did not speak Stafford's language, which Alexey called "Oklahomish." 

The work-around? The cosmonauts spoke English, the astronauts spoke Russian and then everyone could communicate. Alexey stressed that there was "never any problem" when Americans and Soviets were working together in space during the Cold War. In a booming voice and in English he declared, "TOGETHER WE ARE BETTER."

I can't really even put into words how awesome it was to meet those cosmonauts. The way Alexey shared the story of Yuri Gagarin’s death in a routine training mission was spellbinding. He was getting very emotional, and his daughter, who was translating, was fighting back tears. Yuri was a good friend of his, and I think Alexey has spent the last three plus decades trying to clear his friend's name in the cause of the crash.

It's an interesting culture in the Russian space program, and very different from the NASA culture, from what I gathered.  It sounds like there isn’t as much camaraderie and common goal/teamwork between cosmonauts and their engineers.  What it sounds like is the cosmonauts are sometimes treated like second tier, and the engineers ALWAYS blame them when something goes wrong, though it's more often than not an engineering mistake.

It was also fascinating to learn about the differences in spacecraft design between the Soviet and NASA space programs.  One of the NASA engineers Sy Liebergot, who worked on the ground breaking Apollo-Soyuz mission where two nations with otherwise pretty frosty relations worked closely together and docked in space.  Liebergot said the first time a cosmonaut saw one of our capsules they asked what the heck all the switches are for. In the Soviet crafts, most everything was controlled on the ground. He described it as Soviet spacecraft were designed "man out" of loop, while NASA craft are "man in."

The second cosmonaut on the panel was Valery Kubasov. In his opening remarks he reminded us all know that he was in space before Apollo. :) He also noted he was the first to weld metal in space. Interesting. 

Valery spoke eloquently about just how important the Apollo-Soyuz mission was, and how important it was in the history of our nations' relations and to the world. 

Kubasov told a funny story about returning from the Apollo-Soyuz mission and being met by his frowning 4-year-old son. The young child asked, "Why didn't you bring me any toys or gum?" 

Kubasov explained that he went to space. His son replied, "Don't they have toys or gum up there?" Kubasov told him there was neither there and his son asked, "Why did you fly there then?"

Kubasov said the question was both naive and intelligent. Why DO people fly to space?

Kubasov said that during that mission "we tested docking and technology" and it was "a huge accomplishment for mankind. ... Astronauts and cosmonauts, working together in harmony." 

It was an honor to get to hear their stories and something we'll all remember forever.

After the panel concluded, a few of the panelists sat and signed books.

We got to chat with Bostick, Carr, Glynn, . They were all super nice to the kids.

Right next to where the space guys were signing was parked an historic car.

It's a 1964 Lincoln Continental limo which was built at the request of the Vatican to carry Pope Paul VI through New York city to address the United Nations. It was built in a span less than two weeks from time or order to delivery for the parade on Oct 5, 1965.

The car was subsequently used for ferrying Apollo 8 and Apollo 11, Apollo 13 and 15 astronauts in ticker tape parades through New York City. It was sold at auction last summer (pre-auction estimates stated its value at $250,000 plus). Not sure who owns it now, but it was sure fun to see it Sunday!

The only real disappointment of the day was that Ken Mattingly, the astronaut who was slated to fly on Apollo 13 but got scratched at the last minute, was a no show. His absence wasn't explained. When they removed his name placard from the table, the man sitting to my right said, "Oh no! Ken Mattingly's not coming." 

I couldn't help but say, "I heard he has the measles." 

The man laughed heartily. Ah, space nerd humor. 

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE: This weekend marked the debut of the space shuttle trainer at The Museum of Flight.

Formerly located in Texas, it's a 1:1 size mock up of the shuttle and every astronaut who flew a shuttle mission trained in it, we're told. We only ran through it on Sunday, between panels. We'll certainly be spending more time inside it on future visits to the museum.