| Discovery Crew Observe Beautiful Day in Ireland
 As we go to press, the space shuttle Atlantis has launched safely into
space and it’s crew is about to resume construction of the International
Space Station. Earlier this summer, NASA welcomed home the Discovery
space shuttle and its crew after its five-million-mile
journey in space. The pilot of the mission was Mark Kelly (pictured
above, third
from right), one of Irish America’s Top
100 Irish-Americans in 2006.
The 38-year-old Kelly grew up in Orange, New Jersey along with his twin
brother Scott who is also a space shuttle pilot. The Kellys trace their
Irish heritage through their father, Richard Kelly, and their mother
Patricia; both parents are retired police officers living in Florida. “I
really do believe there is a genetic disposition for certain things,”
Patricia said about her sons having similar lives.
The Discovery crew spent 15 days in space on a mission that succeeded in
testing space shuttle safety improvements, repairing a rail car on the
International Space Station and producing never-before-seen,
high-resolution images of the shuttle before and after its launch. In
the end the flight helped to verify the safety of the biggest
aerodynamic channel to the external fuel tank in shuttle history.
Despite the hard work, the crew managed to enjoy themselves while
admiring the view from 210 miles above Earth.
And what a view! When mission control pointed out to British-born Piers
Sellers that he could see Britain over his left shoulder, the
spacewalker exclaimed, “Wow! Oh, my goodness. It’s a beautiful day in
Ireland!”
Sellers’ words echoed those of Irish-American Steve Robinson, who flew
on the August, 2005 mission with Commander Eileen Collins. “There is
nothing more beautiful than the way the sun hits those mountains and you
can really see the green fields of Ireland,” he told Irish America. “We
all like to see if we can see it when we are up there.” – Bridget
English |
