posted 03-02-2003 01:39 PM            

My wife, the kids and I got to the W.W. Auditorium at UAA about 15 minutes early, and found about 3 quarters of the hall packed. ( mostly by high school students getting extra credit ) Taking advantage of the empty seats in the front row we suddenly found ourselves sitting only a few seats away from Dr. Lucid herself! Dr. Lucid began conversing with my wife about children, and it wasn't long before each of the kids had a photo signed by her. After a slight delay, the seminar started and Dr. Lucid was the first to speak. She began with the topic of humans living in space. Starting with the Skylab missions, and what we as humans learned about human health concerns from radiation, etc ( conplete with footage on the screen which showed a little from each of the Skylab crews ) she moved onto the Space Station Mir, and her experiences while on board. ( complete again with more great footage ) More information was given about the effects of radiation on the human body, and she mentioned that she was able to actually see these effects at night when it was dark, and she didn't drift off to sleep right way in the form of "tracers" after she closed her eyes. She also spoke briefly about what it was like for her to spend time in orbit aboard MIR. Then she moved on to the ISS and what was being studied there, and how we would hae to learn to deal with the radiation problems along with many other things before we could leave Earth orbit.
After this Dr. Lucid began talking about radiation and how it affects Earth. Mainly about how the Aurora's form and take place. She told the gathered crowd that she had seen both the Northern and Southern lights in the same day while on MIR, and how she had considered herself very lucky to be able to do so.

At this point, she brought up Dr. Nicola Fox who works for NASA and studies radiation effects on the planet, the Auroras, and manages some of the satellite programs associated with these studies. Dr. Fox presented more information on how the radiation belts protect Earth from Sun storms, and how the Auroras are formed as the energy is burned off. (It was a bit sad to hear that we are in a lull for solar activity, and that there will be a drop in Aurora type activity for a while.)

After the speakers finished, there was a Q&A session before Dr.'s Lucid and Fox had to catch a flight back to Fairbanks so they could head back out to the Poker Flats Range to watch some Auroral experiments with sounding rockets. During the Q&A period, there were questions from just about every age group directed at both Lucid and Fox. The question of what's happening to the Space Program after the Columbia, came up... and the answer given was that NASA had a plan concerning this matter, and that things were being focused on not only the saftey issues of the Shuttle program, but the ISS and the issues of keeping it manned, and the crews cared for. And that manned exploration of space should still be the main concern. That it is in our nature to be curious, and explore, and that the exploration of space should continue.
Dr. Lucid was also asked if she had any memorable moments during her time aboard MIR,and she stated that the one things she remembered most was when she and the Yuri's were eating a meal,and how both of the Russian Cosmonauts had talked about their growing up in small towns and being told that the Americans were going to be dropping bombs on them. She of course told them that she had grown up in a small town being told the same thing about the Soviets doing the same to the U.S. She said she found this conversation very interesting due to the fact that they had never talked of this during training, or at any other time. And how similar all of their experiences on that very topic were. And most importantly how after all these years... here they all were in orbit together.
After the presentation, Dr. Lucid stepped out into the alcove, to "meet and greet". We went over and talked briefly with her again ( mostly about family and mutual friends who work for NASA ), and she posed for a few photos,with us.
All said, it was a very informative night, and well worth seeing. After all it isn't every day we get an Astronaut to visit us here in The Last Frontier.

posted 03-02-2003 05:26 PM               

I know exactly what you mean about living in the "boonies", not much hope for sightings.

Dr Lucid stopped by here in Kona, Hawaii last year at the Onizuka Space Center. I took a bunch of my neighborhood kids to see her. She is truely a great speaker and wonderful with the kids. Good about photos too!

We all got a kick out of the Yuri and Yuri syndrome(The Yuri's) on Mir.

posted 03-02-2003 06:03 PM            

One of the nicest people out there. A great speaker, and a great person to get the young'ins interested in space and science. On the Yuri Syndrome...... As she stated..... at least remembering names was easy!

We also had Harrison Schmitt drop by up in Barrow a short time ago. But alas, Barrow is an out of the way place where most people can't get to ( or don't want to be ). The Anchorage Daily News did a nice article on his visit.

All the best from ALaska,