"PEKIN, Ill. -
The space shuttle Atlantis is flying about 350 miles above earth in an area speckled with space debris and junk. So it is no wonder that shuttle Commander Scott Altman’s parents, Sharon and Fred, were happy to get word from their son.
“We were relieved today to hear that damage in the tiles on the shuttle was only superficial,” Sharon Altman said. “Actually every launch/landing reveals some damaged tiles on every mission. No one ever worried about this damage much until the disaster with the Columbia. That was a factor with that situation — everyone was too complacent.”
“We received an e-mail from Scott tonight after they had rendezvoused with the Hubble and captured it with the arm,” Fred Altman said, noting that “Scott was the person who guided the Atlantis shuttle into position. He seems to be in good spirits.”
The Altmans said that while the weather in Florida has been pretty warm, with rain the past two days, it was fortunate that the launch was rescheduled for Monday rather than Tuesday as originally planned.
“That made travel plans more hectic for many people, but the weather was certainly great for the launch,” Sharon said."
Gwen: This is really cool Denise.
Denise: You bet. A home grown Pekinite like myself.
Gwen: Anyone else famous out of Pekin?
Denise: The Hon. Senator Everette McKinley Dirksen for starters. Then we had newly appointed Secretary of the State, John McNaughton. Sadly McNaughton, his wife and one son were killed in a commercial airlines in '67. They were returning to Washington after getting their son from camp.
Talk again,
Denise & Gwen
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