“What is this about space hipsters? SUMBITCH.” Gene Cernan, Last Man in Your Face™, with me, November 3, 2012.
So, I went to my first ASF Astronaut Autograph Show yesterday and had a total blast (pardon the pun). Here’s my round up of all the different, ahem, personalities there.
GENE CERNAN (Gemini 9, Apollo 10 and Apollo 17): Gruff. Showed him This Space Available on my phone and he also manhandled my copy of Falling to Earth. He’s a lot like Tom Stafford (which is not shocking). However, he was very cool and very…Gene-like. BEST QUOTE: “What the hell is a ‘space blog’?” (Upon showing him this blog on my iPhone.)
I AM NOT STALKING DAVE SCOTT HERE. Not even a little bit.
DAVE SCOTT (Gemini 8, Apollo 9 and Apollo 15): Dave will not pose for photos unless you purchase his autograph, which was not shocking. However, he wasn’t rude. In fact, he was…hilariously flirty and winked at me. Handsome Dave Scott™ lived up to his promise as one of NASA’s oddest, inscrutable, flirtiest divaz. He’s still handsome, laydeez!
JIM MCDIVITT FOR PRESIDENT
JIM MCDIVITT (Gemini 4 and Apollo 9): Jim McDivitt is awesome. If Jim McDivitt ran for president, I’d vote for him each election year. If GI Joe made a Jim McDivitt doll, I’d probably own 40. He was absolutely hilarious, friendly, warm and talkative. BEST QUOTES: “Damn, look at that handsome young man.” (Upon looking at a 1965 photo of himself in a Gemini spacesuit.) Also: “I’m 83. I don’t remember what happened this morning…much less in 1965.”
There are plenty more hilarious, awesome moments to share, so I’ll continue with Part 2 later…also, I have lots of thanks to give to tons of wonderful people I was blessed to meet this weekend!
Emily Carney is a writer, space enthusiast, and creator of the This Space Available space blog, published since 2010. In January 2019, Emily’s This Space Available blog was incorporated into the National Space Society’s blog. The content of Emily’s blog can be accessed via the This Space Available blog category.
Note: The views expressed in This Space Available are those of the author and should not be considered as representing the positions or views of the National Space Society.
