What I Wanted to be When I Grew up, Part 1

The very first thing I ever wanted to be when I grew up was a Policeman, just like my dad.  In 1st grade class we got to make our own hats out of paper, so naturally I made a policeman’s hat.  At home I made a badge, and completed the rest of my uniform by adding an equipment belt, flashlight, holster, and a cap gun (remember those?).  It was pretty sweet.

Around 4th grade I really started getting interested in space, so I read lots of library books & studied everything I could find on rockets.  I learned about the whole US space program, including the brand new Space Shuttle being developed at the time.

I located an address for NASA in a book, and wrote them a letter asking for information on the Space Shuttle.  NASA mailed me back some photos, and a brochure that listed all the major subcontractors making parts of the Space Shuttle.  I wrote at least two dozen letters to all of the subcontractors, and they sent back all kinds of brochures, patches, & photographs which I collected in a 3-ring binder.

I couldn’t believe all the great stuff I was getting in the mail, and it was the first time I was getting mail addressed specifically to me.  For weeks, my favorite thing to do every day was to check the mailbox and see if there was something new for me.  Getting all this great stuff made me want to become an astronaut on the Space Shuttle.

I learned that to be selected for astronaut training as a pilot for the Space Shuttle, you had to be among the best military test pilots.  Test pilots naturally test experimental aircraft & weapon systems, which is a very precise & scientific (but dangerous) occupation.  Military test pilots are selected from the most experienced & very best regular military jet pilots.

To be continued in What I Wanted to be When I Grew Up, Part 2 . . .

Labels: Thoughts