Six contest #115.

Pictured is little me standing in front of Space Shuttle Challenger. That particular day in '83, I believe, I was sitting on the window sill of our apartment, staring out into the sky as I often did. I liked to stare at cloud formations and let my imagination go wild. Then I saw a weird looking object in the sky. I called out to my parents and said, "Hey, why is a plane flying on top of a plane?" They came to the window to see what I was talking about. My dad realized it was the space shuttle and burst into excitement. We threw on our shoes, ran to the car, and went straight to Ellington Field. It was one of the most exciting days of my youth.

I grew up in the Space City (Houston). Everywhere you go, there is a reference to NASA and space. There is a McDonald's with an astronaut character on top waving. Many eateries have autographed posters of astronauts and Hubble images. When I was in high school we went on a field trip to Space Center Houston and NASA's Johnson Space Center where they inspired us to pursue careers in STEM. At age 32, I became a NASA contractor and worked as a journalist and technical writer and editor for the space program for 7 glorious years. In my last 3 years, I edited books and scientific reports for the International Space Station program. Sadly, my dream job ended after a series of layoffs. Third time was not a charm, but I am grateful for the time I had there and all the cool people I was privileged to meet. My lifelong fascination with the stars is still going strong, and I'll always be in love with Houston.