When Senator John Glenn climbs into his seat on the Space Shuttle Discovery in late October, four A&S alumni will know exactly how he feels. They've been there.

The day before her launch on Space Shuttle Discovery, Janet Kavandi (second from left) joined the rest of the flight crew for a visit to the launch pad. Photo courtesy of NASA.

Richard Gordon was a pilot in the space program's formative years, flying on Gemini 11 in 1966 and Apollo 12 three years later. George "Pinky" Nelson was a mission specialist on three shuttle flights in the 1980s.

This year two A&S alumni have been on shuttle flights, conducting experiments and bringing supplies to Space Station Mir. Michael Anderson made his trip in January (along with UW Engineering alumnus Bonnie Dunbar), and Janet Kavandi flew in June, both as mission specialists.

Then there's alumnus Stanley Love. He hasn't flown yet, but he'll have his chance soon. He was just selected for NASA's 1998 astronaut candidate class. Another four astronauts hail from other UW units.

A Lifelong Fascination
When did these astronauts first consider space travel a realistic career? Michael Anderson knew he wanted to be space bound from a very early age, but the others came to the decision later.

The Astronaut's Motto: Be Prepared
Although most space flights take about ten days, training takes more than a year, to prepare the crew for possible equipment failures or other challenges during flight.

Five, Four, Three, Two, One . . .
For some astronauts, the moments before liftoff are the most trying. "It's nerve wracking," says Anderson. "The last thing the crew wants to do at that point is to climb out of the vehicle. You're focused, you've peaked in your training, and you don't want anything to get in the way of that."

The View of a Lifetime
Nelson describes the view out the window during flight as "the one transforming experience for every astronaut." A&S astronauts recall that astounding view and what it meant to them.

The Russian Connection
Both Anderson and Kavandi visited space station Mir during their 1998 flights. "I personally thought it looked to be in pretty good shape for its age," says Kavandi. Anderson also believes that the Russian space station gets a bad rap.

Launching Down-to-Earth Careers After Space Flight
Since leaving NASA, Gordon and Nelson have gone on to tackle more earthbound challenges. Gordon has spent most of his time in industry; Nelson heads an ambitious science education project at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Anderson and Kavandi are working on the international space station and expect to be assigned another space flight three years.

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[Autumn 1998 - Table of Contents]