On meeting Scott for the first time he proclaimed . “Please… call me
Scooter. There are hundreds of folks around Johnson Space Center who
have never heard of Scott Altman, but everybody knows Scooter! ”That
set the tone for the entire event. Scooter and his wife Jill brought
with them a warm informality usually reserved for close family…. or a
favourite sweater.
Since leaving NASA Scooter has made no secret of his desire to speak
with youngsters at every opportunity. His modest ambition to inspire
them… as Neil Armstrong and others had inspired him, to “Reach for the
stars”. Not surprisingly, when invited to do so in England for the
first time he jumped at the opportunity. Over two days, Scooter spoke
to nearly 2000 children from 3 different schools: an experience that
blew him away and made his entire trip worthwhile. And this was in
addition to dinner of Friday evening and the public lecture the
following day.
Ken Willoughby would like to thank everybody for making the event such
a success. From his team to the hotel staff, the schools,
photographers James and Karen, the sponsors and of course everybody
that attended, many of whom are now Space Lectures regulars.
But I hope Scooter won’t mind if we leave the final word with him.
“Thanks Guys! Just landed back in the States. We had a wonderful trip!
Thanks to Ken and all the great folks at Space Lectures for
coordinating such a smooth and well run event! You are the best!
Scooter”