Met an historical figure!

[umbro]

I live close by Kona International Airport, "International" is a funny term if you have ever seen this airport. Just outside the airport is the "Ellison Onizuka Space Center" museum, dedicated to a local Hawai'ian boy who made good, became an astronaut and was killed on the Challenger.

Whenever I have cause to visit the airport I take my boy to the Space Center. Each year on the anniversary of the Challenger disaster they have a current astronaut give a presentation. We have been to these events each year for the past six. A couple of years back Mark Polansky (commander of the last shuttle mission) gave the presentation and Oliver and I took him out for pizza at Kona Brew Pub afterward. Let me tell you that though the space program is quite different from the Apollo years the gleam in these guys eyes has lost none of its lustre.

umbro