Posts
The lecturer was Astronaut Jose Hernandez ( brief bio can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Hern%C3%A1ndez_%28astronaut%29).
Tonight I was attending a lecture about one of the Discovery space ships missions. The lecture was held in TIES Center - KUWAIT.
I was too much excited about the lecture. Mr. Hernandez started his lecture giving his expressions about Kuwait and the Middle East. Then he resumed the lecture speaking about his elderly childhood and achievement throughout his life. Mr. Hernandez told the audience that he had the dream of being an astronaut since he was 9 years old. He spoke about the benefits of working hard, dedication and addiction on achieving the goals, as applying to NASA took him 12 years to be an astronaut!!!!
His story of how he reached to be a NASA official astronaut was very touching. Although his family was poor that didnt make him neither stop dreaming nor working hard to achieve that dream. He told a funny story about his childhood when his family used to gather all around the old boxed black and white TV with antenna watching the activation of Appolo Missions live. His father used to ask him to go behind the TV to catch the antenna in order to adjust the screen. In the time when all his family had fun watching the programs, Jose was the antenna adjuster behind the box. The matter, as he said joking, may be was a good reason to make him be an astronaut, as electrons used to inhibit his body watching Appolo missions LIVE!! (He laughed) .
He resumed telling more about the mission with a presentation video which was so well prepared and designed. The shots in the video were real time shots that had been taken to the whole crew during. Jose was the engineer responsible of operating the Long Arm Robot. The presentation was professional along with Mr. Hernandez explanatory lecture. I took a lot of picture for the short movie of the mission as I could not have the original!
After the lecture Mr. Hernandez started to receive questions form the audience. I was too much eager to speak with him about my Outer Space research, however there was no time at all as he was signing away posters of his astronaut suit of NASA, which I managed to make him sign me one with my name in the bottom ( awesome as it was a hard mission for me among the crowd). Couple of photos with him along with taking out his official email as well, were also my humble victories of the evening.
On his way out to the second floor of TIES Center as the coordinators told so ( I called them the eagles as they was covering his little body, I don really know why but I thought it was for either safety or journalistic purpose), he asked me if I have any further questions, I answer with "Yes sir, but I d rather email them to you as you are busy now and I want you to join the rest of the gathering in order to take some rest and fun!!". He smiled.
I must mention that Mr. Hernandez, the NASA astronaut, spoke tonight frankly about his life and how his parents encouraged his hard working, besides he gave advices to the parents who were attending among the audience to keep pushing the dreams of their children IN not AWAY.
He is a good hearten man with principles as while he was speaking about what he did first feel when he saw the plant earth from an outer view, he said: "I was not feeling before about the God, however up there I felt with his existence. In addition I felt that we all so humble in correspondence to that tremendous space. Boundaries are man-made, and the God have created all of us equal, however men like to make the difference. I wish we can book tickets for the leaders of the earth in attempt to make them understand the whole earth is united from the outer view, although some of them would get one way ticket!! (He Laughed)"
In a conclude, I d like to talk about TIES center in KUWAIT rules which it have been playing for a quite period now. The center is a non political community for expressing ISLAM culture to the Western. During my activity sharing at the center I met the most dedicated individuals whom I am honored to know them.
For that evening on the Discovery Space Ship, I would like to thank,
Eng. Jose Hernandez
Eng. Abdel Aziz El Deaj
Mrs. Abdel Aziz El Deaj
Eng. Weal Hashash
Mrs. Amina, and finally all contributors of the activities of TIES Center - Kuwait.
P.S. More photos of the event can be seen at the folder holding the name of "Jose Hernandez" in my Photos.
Heba Haddad
Feb 2011
No comments:
Post a Comment