Dr. Shannon Lucid's Welcome Home Ceremony

During Dr. Shannon Lucid's stay aboard the Space Station Mir, the entire world delighted in her cravings and sense of humor. Her warmth made everyone believe that they knew her personally . We applauded her successes because she is just like us. She represents America and if she can achieve such an incredible feat, so can we.

I have wanted to be an astronaut for as long as I can remember. As soon as I could read, I loved to immerse myself in books about the women astronauts. My love for space exploration has continued into college, where I have followed Dr. Lucid's career with interest. Since I work in the Mission Science Office at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, I always knew what was going on during her mission. It was incredible to feel connected to someone who had influenced my life.

After her historic mission, Dr. Lucid landed at Kennedy Space Center on Thursday and came home to Houston on Friday. On the Thursday, I got an e-mail detailing when and where her welcome home ceremony in Houston would be. I took half a day off to make sure I would get a great seat. On Friday, it started to rain. No problem, I bought a HUGE umbrella! Nothing was going to stop me from seeing Dr. Lucid in person. Before the ceremony, I went to JSC and bought a T-shirt that had Dr. Lucid's picture with the words "WELCOME HOME SHANNON" on the front. Now, totally prepared, I left for the ceremony jumping with excitement!

The ceremony was held at the local Air Force Base, Ellington Field. After standing in a slow moving line to pass through a metal detector and allow my purse to be searched, I reached the crowd already waiting there. I discovered one open slot at the very front, which I quickly slipped into. It was an incredible view, directly in front of the podium where Dr. Lucid and President Bill Clinton would be seated.

After a two hour wait, Dr. Lucid's plane arrived. It was shortly followed by two more planes; one carrying the rest of the STS-79 crew and the other Air Force One carrying President Clinton. When Dr. Lucid got off the plane, I felt like my heart was going to jump out of my throat, I was so excited. Another American woman, whose dreams are similar to mine completed an incredible mission and now holds the record for American space flight.

Although I know that there were many speakers, I only remember hearing two: President Clinton congratulating Dr. Lucid and then her own speech. Dr. Lucid talked only briefly, but she thanked everyone and said it was great to be home. The crowd was excited to see her and cheered at every opportunity. Everyone waited until Dr. Lucid was gone to leave. We all wanted her to know how excited we were for her.

A few weeks later, I sat behind Dr. Lucid in a "debriefing" where she gave information about her flight. She looked incredible, had a great sense of humor, and kept everyone smiling! I wish I had gone up and introduced myself, but I felt too shy. Maybe one day I will get an introduction....when I join the astronaut corps.