#sts129

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

On November 16, 2009, I was invited to the press site at Kennedy Space Center to watch the launch of STS-129. The event I attended lasted two days and it changed my life.

But that day, I got to stand less than three miles from the launch pad, as close as humans are allowed to get, and I felt the heat from the solid rocket boosters, the incredible intense light, the impossibly loud rattling crackle, the rumbling deep in the earth, and I watched as six people rode this barely controlled explosion beyond the earth and into space. My heart overflowed. Humans did this. Look at what we’re capable of.