#sts 129

November 18, 2009 – The Space Shuttle Atlantis during mission STS-129, seen from the International Space Station during a survey of the orbiter prior to docking.

Last weekend, I managed to intersect orbits with Leland Melvin, NASA astronaut and veteran of not one, but two, spaceflights. If you don’t know of him already, you need to! Not only is he a great spokesperson for space exploration, he’s also a major force for education and outreach and making the world a better place. BONUS: HE IS CREATING HIS OWN STARTORIAL FASHION LINE.

So far there are only a few sneak peaks on his Instagram, but after seeing this sample jacket in person I can attest to its awesomeness. I even asked Leland if I could take a photo of the label because there is such incredible attention to detail in the craftsmanship. If you can’t make out the words, it says explains that the cloud image on the jacket was taken by Leland himself on STS-129 while docked to the International Space Station. 

I can’t wait to see more of Leland’s “Urban Space Gear Apparel Line” - I promise to bug him for some startorial exclusives, so watch this space...*

In the meantime, I highly recommend checking out Leland’s new book about his life: Chasing Space. It’s available as a young reader’s edition too. I’m already a third of the way through and loving it. 

- Summer

Backdropped by a blue and white part of Earth, the aft section of the docked space shuttle Atlantis (STS-129) is featured in this image photographed by a crew member on the International Space Station.