Retro Renovation talks to the set decorator of ABC's 'The Astronaut Wives Club'

[bwoods]

Greg Johnson Astronaut

I normally don't mention this as it gives away my age, ha. But one of my former students, Greg Johnson is (actually "was" as he is now retired) a NASA astronaut and piloted the final mission of the Space Shuttle Endeavor in 2011.

I had Greg when I taught at Park Hills High School in Fairborn, Ohio before getting my graduate degree and going to the University. I had Greg in the 1979/1980 year if I recall correctly and had him for two classes a day, Physics and Chemistry. Very bright, but also a class clown much of the time. I would put him in the top ten, I.Q.- wise of all the students I had in public school or Wright State. .

Don't know if he lived in Timber Grove or not. I should email him one day and ask him.

Even more importantly, I don't think all of you know Allen's credentials, education-wise and employment- wise as a commercial airline pilot for top Airlines such as Northwest and Delta for many years. Very impressive!!!!

 

[whirlcool]

Nope, Barry everyone here knows. You know the old pilot joke, it there's a pilot in the room you don't have to pick him out, he'll tell you! I usually fit in some aviation fact in my postings every now and then. It's the thing I know best!

 

[warmsecondrinse]

I can't top any of your stories, but I do have a NASA-related one. It was a few years ago, but I casually mentioned by name the 1960's rocket that showed up in a picture in a class presentation. Long story short:

Students were flabbergasted that I and a few other people 'of a certain age' could identify the rockets and give an impromptu lecture on the history of U.S. space program. It was funny how they really couldn't grasp how much of this country came to a halt when an Apollo mission was taking place. Classes in schools came to a halt and we all were glued to the B/W 21" RCA tv's (with UHF! WOO HOO!!!) to watch the continuous news coverage. They also had a hard time believing that NASA would send you a slew of full color magazines/brochures of their latest programs.And don't forget TANG!

Unfortunately, AFAIK, all those brochures from NASA were lost when my parents had their first and (so far) only flood in their basement a few years back. Fortunately, NASA's full color book of the pics taken by the Gemini astronauts survived untouched.

In some ways it really was a different world back then.

 

[bwoods]

Somehow, I've missed that fact about you, Allen. That is just super cool!!
And an appreciator of appliances as well! What brand of ovens, etc. do the airplanes generally use in the galley's?

Here is one of my favorite poems, (I am sure every pilot has it memorized):

HIGH FLIGHT

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air. . . .

Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew —

And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of GOD.

— John Gillespie Magee, Jr

 

[bwoods]

aa different world

Very good, Jim. Yes, it was a different world. Odd that, what many consider to be our country's greatest technological feat, is 46 years behind us. When I was young we had the moon landings ahead of us. Now students have to look behind to that triumph.

It was an exciting time and like you I remember well watching it on tv and listening to Walter Cronkite report on it live. Who could forget Tang, the drink of the astronauts that went to the moon. ha.

That's too bad you lost your brochures from NASA. Occasionally they will show up on Ebay. Keep your eye open. I have a 1969 General Electric Press release packet that was given to reporters before the moon shot and telling how GE products were use in the Apollo program and it includes some interesting pictures. I found it on Ebay, in mint condition. So keep checking Jim you might be able to find duplicates of your brochures.

 

[whirlcool]

Years ago they had a Manned Space Museum inside the Johnson Space Center here in Houston. It was a somber kind of place where the articles from the missions were placed behind glass with just a printed index card telling you what each item was.
And lots of photos too. Now it's a separate building operated by Disney (with Disney style admission fees too) and it's more interactive. Lots of stuff for kids to do. In fact the entire place is set up to interest the mind of a 9 year old kid. You can take a trip to see the mission control mock up inside JSC. But it's basically a ghost town now.

You used to see lots of cars around the visitors center, but hardly any at all around the JSC buildings. Even in the 70's almost every car space was taken there when a mission was in progress. In fact back then there was no security really at the space center buildings past the front gate. You just walked around the entire campus, unimpeded. Now you are herded around on shuttle buses with "tour guides" watching your every move.