Paying Homage to an Inspiration

Quite frequently in my job, I take people on tours of the International Space Station (ISS) mockups. Many are dignitaries, like the African Heads of State I recently took on a tour. Though it's always exciting meeting these different people, it's pretty routine for me. Last month though, I had the honor of escorting June Lockhart and her granddaughter on a tour. This was the only time I have ever been nervous before a tour . :-)

As many of you know, June Lockhart played Maureen Robinson on the series Lost In Space, which is now considered a classic. Lost In Space ran from 1965 To 1968, and can now be seen on cable. Several weeks before her visit, an email went out asking for a volunteer to take her on the tour, and I guess I was the first one to respond. This was something I just had to do -- as a kid, Lost In Space and Star Trek were my two favorite shows. These shows really fueled my imagination and my desire to want to come and work for the space program. Now, here she was coming to where I work and I got the opportunity to show her around and to thank her personally.

I think Ms. Lockhart and her granddaughter were quite surprised by how much the show inspired so many to grow up and a make a life working in the space program. Ms. Lockhart expressed that she was very grateful that her part on this show inspired so many to become fascinated with space.

Ms. Lockhart recognized a few of the pieces of hardware in the mockups, like the plant habitats in the Japanese Experiment Module. She remembered these habitats looked like a lab, on their show -- on the Jupiter 2, where they were growing plants hydroponically (that is, in a nutrient solution, rather than soil). I thought it really profound that fiction is becoming fact - the show's writer, Irwin Allen's imagination is coming true.

Ms. Lockhart and her granddaughter were both very charming. They asked some great questions. The tour took about an hour and I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did.

Besides personal tours, I also participate in live video tours with schools. That's always a lot of fun because it is so interactive. We see each other and can communicate in real time. I really enjoy telling people about the ISS, and I do as much outreach activity as I can. I've been involved in outreach activities for about a year now.