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From:
Tiffany Hemke, Tremont, Ill., Age: 30
To: Commander Scott Altman
Question:
Tremont is actually a town very near to my hometown of Pekin, Illinois, so I appreciate that the folks back home in central Illinois are keeping track of the mission. It's always great to hear from them.
Tiffany's question is:
What
a show it was for the launch of STS-109 on March 1! I'm sure it
was even better from your seat! I am wondering which ride gets your
heart pumping more, the blastoff and trip to orbit, or the re-entry
and subsequent glide to landing?
Altman:
That's a really tough question to answer actually. The ascent ride
is just an adrenaline rush for 8 ½ minutes all the way up.
On entry, your coming back, getting used to gravity again, realizing
how easy you've had it for the last 12 days and then having the
gravity g build up. But it's a real thrill to finally put my hands
on the stick and actually fly this orbiter into a landing. And your
right, we're gliding in--no engines to power us--so the first landing
better be good.
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