posted 03-24-2009 04:07 PM               

Before and after the dinner Mattingly shook hands, signed autographs and posed for photos too.

posted 03-26-2009 07:39 PM               

The ceremony was very nice - the dean spoke, as did Christopher Scolese, the acting NASA Administrator, and then Adm. Mattingly. Then there was a lecture on the past and future of space exploration given by Scolese and Mattingly, followed by a "meet and greet".

It was a very well done ceremony, and the lecture was interesting as well. I had never before met Adm. Mattingly, and I came away very impressed. He was charming, talkative, funny, basically everything you could ask for. He talked with my wife and me for 10 minutes at the meet and greet, and was great about photos and signing items. He completed for me my A16 mission emblem crew-signed beta cloth (thanks to Kim Poor for advice on the proper writing instrument).

A fantastic day and a great experience. I'll try to post photos when I figure out how.

posted 01-09-2010 12:39 PM               

Any help would be appreciated.

posted 03-02-2012 03:47 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by ilbasso:
All I can say is that you have to catch him in person, and that in person he signs freely and gladly.

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Today, I added Adm. Mattingly to my over-sized 20x24 Apollo 8 multi0-signed earthrise. I now have 14 Apollo astronauts that went to the moon.

He was very gracious and accommodating after a presentation he gave. I didn't attend the event but was in town on business. I was lucky enough to wait and see him post speech.

posted 06-29-2012 11:16 AM               

You see, I have a postal cover with a shuttle cachet signed by quite a few astronauts.

If Mattingly were to sign it (along with Hank Hartsfield, who signs pretty regularly), this item would have the complete crews of the ALT flights and STS-1 through STS-4. Then, if just four more signed it, it would have the commanders of every mission all the way through STS-20 and it would be the centerpiece of my shuttle astronauts collection. (But I won't try to achieve that until it has Mattingly.)

I know that when he does sign in person, he does so for free, but I would be willing to make a contribution to the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation in his name if he were to sign this for me. I have another item I would also like him to sign, but this cover is the more important one.

posted 02-02-2013 07:33 AM            

I found Mattingly, and saw him signing something. The guy who he signed for talked to him for about five minutes while myself and someone else waited for him to finish. I had a photo out, and one of the staff told me (something along the lines of) there has been a request for no autographs tonight. She said the one he just signed was a special request. A minute or two later, he finished up with first guy, and the second guy got a picture with him. Then I did, although he was starting to walk away. I asked him to sign my photo, which he didn't even look at. He said he had to go, and kept walking to the IMAX theatre. So, yes, he planned on leaving, but this was at 7:30; the presentation started at 8. It seems that they didn't want people to see him sign more so than it was his personal policy to not do it.

Buzz Aldrin walked around the reception somewhat unnoticed. He signed nothing, but took a photo with someone a few times, but he had to be talked into it.

For anyone who didn't see the presentation, the content was interesting, but the beginning was the most memorable. There were to be four panelists, so there were four chairs at the table. After the host welcomed "special guest" Buzz, the host invited the panelists to come up. Well, Buzz came up, too. Anticipating a game of musical chairs, the host said, "Buzz, we only have four seats, but we'll bring you up later". Buzz walked back to his first-row seat looking a little embarrassed about the snub, and rightfully so. After the panelists spoke, but was invited up for what became a ten-minute speech, which the host cut short.