DALLAS. Astronauts aboard Space Shuttle Discovery say the experiments they are conducting on their mission to rendezvous with the International Space Station are producing valuable information, some of which they’ll put to good use as soon as they get back to earth.
“Did somebody bring the croquet set?”
“We brought too much crap,” says crew member Clayton Anderson. “We need to have a garage sale when we get back.”
Items that are seen as lacking in utility include inflatable Shrek Boogie Boards, mountain bikes and a combination badminton/volleyball set. “I need to make a list next time,” said astronaut Peggy Whitson. “We heard there was a lot of space up here, but we haven’t gone outside that much.”
Whitson particularly regrets some of her wardrobe choices, as she finds herself with nothing to wear if the group goes out to dinner. “We all have to wear an orange jumpsuit, and the only thing I own that goes with it is a blue cardigan.”
“You brought the Sopranos boxed set but forget a Phillips head screwdriver?”
NASA has been criticized in the past for failing to adequately prepare its personnel for long-term space flights, sometimes forgetting to cancel newspaper deliveries and forward mail.
Shana Dale: “I put some pre-stamped postcards in your trunk so you have no excuse for not writing.”
“When I get back from summer vacation the last thing I want to think about is packing again,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale. “I spend enough time sewing name tags in all the astronauts’ underwear.”
Copyright 2007, Con Chapman
