Watching the Launch of STS-95 In Person, A Blast!!

I wrote in my last journal about my work on the STS-95 mission. Now, the mission is over, and I can breathe a sigh of relief. I was able to go down to Florida for the launch and landing of STS-95, which included Senator John Glenn. This was really cool. I've seen a few launches before, but this one was really neat. One of the girls I was with had never seen a launch before (not even on television), so watching her reaction was a treat for me.

During this particular launch, there happened to be two shuttles on the pad, as Endeavor was being readied for STS-88 launching in December. It was funny when one of the Florida news teams' cameras focused on the wrong pad during takeoff. Another thing different about this launch was the extent of the press coverage and all the hoopla. It was absolutely insane. John Glenn's press entourage was incredible. During training for this mission, I got really close to this crew. Watching them, watching the launch -- I started to cry! It really moved me, it was so emotional! This whole process can be really intense at times.

This was my first landing to see at Kennedy, as the other one I watched was at Dryden. The same girl I watched the launch with was there for landing. She was really surprised at how loud the double sonic boom can be during landing -- you can actually feel it in your chest. I was also interviewed (during the launch just as I was crying) by, of all people, a news reporter from KTRK-13 in Houston, my hometown. I thought that was neat, and so did my family and friends who watched it on the 10 o'clock news that night. Before the launch, while I was at Kennedy, I saw Marvin Zindler (a famous KTRK-13 news personality), too. Security was very strict -- during landing, security was under Threat Condition Bravo (a higher security level than normal). The mission went really well, and all our objectives were met.

On another note, I have six experiments assigned to me, to make ready, to fly on the International Space Station (ISS). Right now, I am really concentrating on learning how the ISS is organized in respect to how to feed our information into the ISS systems. We have to figure out how Shuttle people and ISS people can merge their common and different attitudes and procedures to work together. The experiments I am working on are all concerned with life science. I work with the principle investigator (PI) to take their experiment requirement and fit it with the capabilities of ISS.

On one of the experiments, I am working with Dr. Gilles Clement, a French PI. His project concerns eye movements and motion perception induced by off-vertical axis rotation (OVAR) at small angles of tilt after spaceflight. The astronaut is put in a special chair that spins (artificial acceleration). This test studies the vestibular system, which is the balance organs in the ear and all the connections they make to the eyes, brain and muscles. This experiment is scheduled for Increment 3 and is pre- and post-flight baseline data collection (BDC) only. Nothing is done in-flight.

Another experiment I am working on, due to go up in Increment 2, is an exercise protocol designed by Dr. Per Tesch to study how muscles change. Dr. Tesch will be studying the effects of resistance training using flywheel technology (like a funky bike) on unloaded skeletal muscle. This experiment involves taking pre- and post-flight MRI scans of various muscle groups (especially in the upper thighs). Again, nothing is done in-flight for this.

The other four experiments are working after Increment 5. They all have pre- and post-flight BDC and in-flight activities, too. They should prove quite interesting. I'll write about them in future journals. I hope you all have a great year -- Happy 1999!!