The day before Antares launched, I was hanging around Wallops Visitor Center waiting for news on that day’s scrub, when I noticed one of the museum staff (Susan, the Educational Resources Coordinator) wearing what appeared to be a Space Shuttle Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU, or a spacesuit to put it simply). She had put it on to surprise Matthew, a young boy who frequently came to the visitor center dressed in a shiny spacesuit costume. Now, I was in my classic Starfleet engineering uniform just for the fun of wearing one to launch, and the opportunity for a group shot was too good to pass up.

Between that and the successful launch the next day, I think we totally made that kid’s weekend.

After launch scrub I was still able to get me and my red shirt photographed with the Antares rocket from the Arbuckle Neck viewing site, later that evening.

(Also see Susan and Matthew and their spacesuits in the news, minus me.)