As if it couldn't get better...

NASA called and asked me to work in Mission Control for this mission!  I trained 'em but left 'em early.  Yet, I get to complete the circle by being a part of the actual mission for which I trained 'em.  Gosh.  Sigh of sheer happiness...

Workin' hard or hardly workin'?

Endeavor's namesake in the foreground of Mission Control Center

And in front of our beautiful Stars n' Stripes...

Our entire Orbit 3 team...We split working in mission control into three equal shifts (or what we call "orbits") and handover to each other in aims of continuity of operations...

And the CATO who requested me...my girl, Toni

And our Superman CATO, Steve...my partner in backroom complaining & laughter...



*All pictures courtesy of the awesome NASA photographers. Thanks!*

Blastoff!

My crew finally made it up!  STS-134/ULF6 launched this morning, with her crew in tow.  Aboard the last mission for Endeavor...  She's a special bird, having replaced Challenger after her own demise.  All of this reminds of being a little girl, memorizing Shuttle dimensions and random facts in hopes that I would one day be...

A super cool pic snapped by someone as she sat on her plane this morning...

My crew, with Mark Kelly (Front, Right) who is commander and dealt with the incomprehensible and salacious act of heinous anger when his wife, Representative Gabby Giffords, and other civilians were attacked in Tuscon.  Behind him is Mike Fincke, who married an Indian girl from Assam.  We happened to be married by the same Gujarati priest!

My team just as they were about 75% of the way done with training.