Photo: Astronauts (LtoR) Commander Brian Duffy, Capt Winston Scott & Commander (year-in-space), Scott Kelly present to a capacity audience at the Burke Theatre, Trinity College Dublin.
CEO Rick Abramson, (later succeeded by Dan LeBlanc), Delaware North executives and former heads of the KSC Visitor Complex, executed a NASA directive to have astronauts (mostly retired ones), present their space experiences to visitors every day at Astronaut Encounter. It quickly became a hugely popular activity with visitors. Later, the Dine with an Astronaut program was also introduced to the daily schedule. The latter program spawned some hilarity with the Guest Services staff, who half-jokingly, wholly in earnest, often remarked that additional ‘Astronaut’ adventures were in the pipeline. Wash your Dirty Linen with an Astronaut, and the highly anticipated Sleep with an Astronaut program These particular programs were expected to break all records.
Although I was not a part of the Astronaut Encounter program, I liked the format and I thought that it was very flexible. As far as I was concerned, this program could move worldwide. From time to time at KSC, it was my good fortune to introduce visitors to many astronauts whose names have become synonymous with the US space program, even the incorrigible Story Musgrave. However, I can say without fear or prejudice, that many of the astronauts became my friend. I thoroughly enjoyed their personal intakes on their space flight experiences. Amongst that list was one Astronaut Winston Scott, who later became my boss.
Following two Space Shuttle flights, Winston resigned from NASA and then served as Director of the Florida Space Authority. After several years, Winston urged Gov. Jeb Bush to dissolve and amalgamate the three State of Florida space organizations; Florida Space Authority, the Florida Aerospace Finance Corp and the Florida Space Research Institute, into a single organization – later in September 2006, to be known as Space Florida.
In the summer of 2001, Maureen and I had a vacation in Ireland during which I introduced the concept of an Astronaut Encounter Show / Irish-style, to potential interested persons in Dublin. Prior to the trip, I recorded videos of astronauts at Kennedy Space Center presenting their experiences in space, as well as a copy of my own presentations at the Launch Status Center. I wanted the concept of what I was proposing to Ireland Inc., to be perfectly understood. My goal of exporting the Astronaut Encounter Show was to raise awareness of science and in particular, the space program amongst Irish youth. Dr. Sam Durrance, a retired NASA astronaut and now a lecturer at the Florida Institute of Technology (FL Tech), had agreed that if I could secure sponsorship in Ireland, he would go. I later learned that almost every astronaut I had ever met in my entire life at KSC, felt precisely that same feeling. What Astronaut would not want to go to Ireland?
Within weeks of my return to Florida, I was contacted by an agent of Mr. Gregory Craig – Rowena Kelly, whom I learned was employed as a contractor with the Irish Governmental workforce agency, FÁS. As the Director of Corporate Affairs with FÁS , Greg invited me to Dublin to the 2002 FÁS Opportunities Fair. It was agreed that I would host the Astronaut Encounter Show at the RDS venue in Dublin, and that Dr. Sam Durrance would be the invited NASA astronaut. FÁS were prepared to cover our travel expenses. Game on.
The FÁS Opportunities Fair commenced at the RDS on Friday February 1, 2002 at 9.00am. The official opening ceremony for the media and press was hosted by Ireland’s Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Mr. Bertie Ahern. Over the course of the next four days, Sam, Jean Francoise and I presented “Educating the Next Generation” to full capacity audiences. I estimated that almost four thousand high school and university students watched our performances on stage while many more stood in the wings. The exported Astronaut Encounter Show, was an enormous success. The audiences were wildly enthusiastic and we quickly ran out of space memorabilia and other items I had specifically brought from Florida. Everyone wanted a signed autograph.
In between the FÁS Seminars, radio and journalist interviews, Sam, Becky (his wife), Maureen and I did have the opportunity to spend some relaxing time together. We watched Irish television as Ireland trounced Wales in an international rugby match at Lansdowne Road, and we had the fortune of meeting at least half of the Welsh followers as they paraded, sang, drank and caroused around the bars of the Burlington Hotel, prior to the game. I feared that Sam and Becky might be shocked at the sight of so many inebriated rugby followers; however, they took it in their stride and immersed themselves into the extended sporting festivities. Sam and I had a pint of Guinness at the hotel to celebrate!
The FÁS 2002 Opportunities Fair had left me much to ponder on. Additionally, I was committed to securing a NASA-KSC internship placement for one Ms. Michelle McKeown, who at that time was employed as a Lecturer in Environmental Studies at the Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT). That successful internship could well be the first of many such internships for Irish science graduates.
There also existed the opportunity to initiate a joint Ireland / to NASA intern program in which Irish science graduates might intern at Kennedy Space center, and in due course, other NASA centers in the U.S. I realized that my employer at the time namely, Delaware North would not be interested in such a program, however, Astronaut Capt. Winston Scott, now Director of the Florida Space Authority might be?