In Rhea’s blogs, she shares the adventures of her journeys into space as well as the many other experiences in her lifetime! We know you will find each one a bit unique and enjoyable as well as a bit educational.
From small-town southern girl to space traveler, Rhea Seddon experienced a life that was on a trajectory of its own from an early age.
One of the first six women Astronauts accepted by NASA, Dr. Seddon, a surgeon by training, married Navy Captain Robert “Hoot” Gibson becoming the first Astronaut couple. Their three children became the world’s first Astrotots. A woman of many firsts, Rhea’s compelling story of achieving the American Dream carries a universal message to all that overcoming obstacles of any kind is possible if we persevere and carry the torch of our vision.
Her memoir, Go For Orbit, tells of one American woman’s personal journey that will inspire you to reach amazing heights of your own.
There were many issues to address when women were first accepted into NASA’s Astronaut Corps. While some were important, others were mundane. All had to be decided. How could we urinate while waiting on the launch pad or during a spacewalk? Now that was a major concern of the space program and all six female Astronauts! The device made for the men wasn’t going to work for the women. While designers invented a variety of contraptions that fit the female anatomy, these things were awkward and uncomfortable. How about an adult diaper? Disposable...
Among my most interesting jobs at NASA was one of my first important ones. The first Space Shuttle launch was scheduled for the spring of 1981. My class of “Thirty Five New Guys” who had joined the Astronaut Corps in 1978 hoped we’d get to play a role in that exciting upcoming event. Director of Flight Crew Operations George Abbey called me to his office in 1980 with a request: “Rhea, do you think you could work on the search and rescue operations for the first four Shuttle flights?” I jumped at the chance – not knowing exactly what...
The view from space was incredible. From 200 miles up, there was a completely new perspective. To see the distinctive hook of Cape Cod or the blues and greens of the Great Barrier Reef as I sipped my morning coffee reminded me how lucky I was to be an Astronaut. We had a wonderful teacher, Dr. Bill Muehlberger from the University of Texas in our early days of training. He took us on field trips to show us what Earth looked like from ground level, then showed us pictures of what the same areas looked like from space. We were enthralled. ...
Many new worlds opened when I joined NASA in 1978: aviation, aviators, the military and their machines. It took a while to be able to tell the difference between an F-14 and an F-16 jet aircraft even though they were remarkably different. Although I’d looked up the names of my classmates in our class of 35 before we gathered at the Johnson Space Center, many didn’t answer to the names that appeared on the list. Almost half of our class came from the military—often from the flying world—where they had acquired nicknames or “call signs.” ...
So you want to become an astronaut? It’s not easy. The positions are competitive…highly, but astronauts are still being selected to fly aboard the International Space Station which now orbits the Earth. When I applied in 1977, it was the first time women and minorities earned the right to apply. Imagine that! The specifics have changed in the last half decade but a college degree is always a prerequisite with preferably an advanced degree (Ph.D. or MD, for instance). Was there a trio of people who you’d trust to recommend you? There were...
How do Astronauts keep in touch with their families when they are orbiting the Earth? Communicating with loved ones became more sophisticated over time. In the beginning, families could send up brief messages with other NASA information to the Shuttle’s antiquated printer. Later on, those few words could be sent with packets of information to our onboard computer. Neither of those methods were private, and so they were painfully terse: “Miss you!” “Kids say HI.” or “Come home soon.” Some ingenious engineers, communications specialists, and...
If you haven’t seen the movie, Hidden Figures, you should. It is a true story, a tale of a group of African-American women hired at the dawn of NASA for their superior mathematical skills. It reminded me of so many things at NASA. People ask: do you miss flying in space? Well, yes, a little. Mostly, I miss the fine people. Like the people in the movie, they weren’t all perfect, but they learned from their mistakes and always tried to improve. It was part of the culture. I remember an episode that taught me some important lessons. I had been...
A little over three decades ago, January 28, 1986 began one of the worst times of my life. I watched as seven friends and the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded into a ball of fire moments after take-off. Soon, all the Astronauts were assigned to assist in the search, recovery, and rebuilding of the United States space program. I was sent to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to help with the identification of the fragments of the accident. In a huge hangar, all of Challenger’s recovered bits and pieces were being collected and assembled into...
Hoot’s second Shuttle flight, his first as Commander, was scheduled for 1985, but many delays in the Shuttle program pushed it later and later into the year. His crew was a great bunch—with several good friends from the Astronaut Corps. Three members of the crew—Hoot, George “Pinkie” Nelson, and Steve Hawley—had flown before, but it was a first for Charlie Bolden, and Franklin Chang Diaz, as well as Payload Specialists (who would only be making this one flight) Bob Cenker and United States Congressman Bill Nelson. On their training trips to...
So…who are your heroes? People you know personally, people you esteem from afar, people whose lives you admire? I have had the honor of meeting many of my real-life heroes. One was a fellow astronaut from a different era, Neil Armstrong. You may remember him, the first human being to set foot on the moon. His quote that day, July 20, 1969, is famous: “One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” He came to the Johnson Space Center to share with my astronaut class his experiences in NASA, in space. He was such a kind, quiet,...
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