A Trip to Italy

First Poland and then Italy, you might be asking why Italy? Our dear Italian friends built the Cupola so of course, the crew was jazzed to go thank them and tell them how much they loved it. The 130 crew received a first class reception all over the country, from the ruins in Rome to the Vatican to the hillside of Tuscany. From a warm and wonderful people to the beauty of space, thanks to our Italian partners for that incredible view.

STS-130 Visits Poland

As part of their mission tour, the crew chose to visit Poland to celebrate Zambo's Polish heritage. Terry enjoyed speaking to the President, Prime Minister and cabinet, visiting several orphanages, schools and universities, spending time with the Ambassador and making a guest appearance on "Good Morning Poland." One of the highlights was a citywide celebration in the historic town of Zamoch. All of Poland opened their arms to the crew with a symphony and specially made movie about the opening of the Cupola. Again, it was overwhelming to be so honored but Terry returned with a new appreciation for this European country.

Focus on the Family Radio Broadcast

Great news, Terry's interview with Focus on the Family has made the cut and will be aired this Friday, May 14th. You can check your local Christian radio station to find out what time they air the Focus broadcast or go to focusonthefamily.org and it will be played all day. The title of his show is "Col Terry Virts: Mission to Outer Space." I will try to refrain from using the word amazed yet one more time on my blog but wow, oh my goodness, does God know how to give good gifts to His children or what?

A Week in Washington, D.C

The crew has spent weeks on the road now, showing their STS-130 mission movie and speaking to groups all over the world, but one of the most incredible weeks was the one spent in our nation's capitol. Terry accomplished so many things that he has always dreamed of...making a presentation at the National Air and Space Museum, throwing out a pitch at a Nationals game(and it was a strike, by the way), speaking before Congress for 11 hours (someone commented that we should make that a movie title), visiting with wounded veterans at the Naval Hospital, speaking at his old high school and yes, even a trip to the White House to meet the President. I can't even begin to list all the places he has been or people that he has met except to say that it has been exceptional!

A Week in Colorado

In April, Terry was able to spend a week in Colorado Springs making presentations and talking about his mission. First he was able to speak at the weekly chapel service at Focus on the Family, one of our very favorite organizations. Focus President, Jim Daly, was able to come watch our launch in February, and I have to give him praise for sticking around to watch our early morning liftoff, even after a day's slip. Terry also recorded a radio broadcast while at Focus so keep an eye out for further notice of the date. Terry enjoyed several dinners with friends who had been at the launch and spoke to all of Space Command which is headquarterd at Peterson Air Base. The icing on the cake for him, though, was addressing the entire cadet wing at his alma mater, the US Air Force Academy. I can still remember his time as a cadet and I get goose bumps thinking of all the cheering he received from the corps when he returned as a flown astronaut. After presenting a patch to his former soaring squadron, he received a very spectacular glider ride in return, another great highlight for him. One of the items that Terry presented at USAFA was a copy of the poem "The Coming American" by Samuel Walter Foss which he had flown aboard Endeavour. This poem, which speaks so highly of the great leadership, ingenuity and inspiration of Americans, had been removed from the cadet wing but hopefully, Terry's mounted copy will bring renewed interest to our future leaders at the Academy. Judging by the Facebook hits that I saw, I think the cadets were pretty motivated so I had to include a couple of my favorite stanzas here: Bring me men to match my mountains, Bring me men to match my plains, Men with empires in their purpose, And new eras in their brains; Bring me men to match my prairies, Men to match my inland seas; Men to sail beyond my oceans, Reaching for the galaxies; Bring me men to matach my forests, Bring me men to match my shores; Men to guard the mighty ramparts, men to stand at freedom's door.

Opening Day at the Astros

As if this year hasn't been spectacular enough, the STS-130 crew was invited to throw out the first pitch on opening day for the Houston Astros. WOW!! The kids and I tagged along and sat in the front row, in George and Barbara Bush's seats, while the crew took the field to a standing ovation. In the midst of my cheering, I told them to turn around and look at the 43,000 people cheering for their dad and his crew. America really does love the space program!!!

Crew Movie Presentation

We spent an evening at Space Center Houston and it was another incredible and momentous event for the crew. First, we were able to see the awards presentation for all the tremendous employees who put forth huge efforts to ensure the success of our mission. I have to brag on our friend Philip who received an award for his hard work on ascent and entry...he always does a stellar job but we were especially touched that his award has the STS-130 insignia on it. Then Terry and I were totally surprised to find out that Zambo had flown an official astronaut pin on Endeavour which he proceeded to pin on Terry at the ceremony. He is no longer a rookie and I can't think of a better commander to make it official. Thanks Zambo!!! Finally we were treated to the STS-130 movie which was spectacular, awesome, funny and totally moving. I relived all of the last 2 weeks and loved celebrating with a packed stadium and overflow room. Perhaps my favorite comment at the question-and-answer session was when Steve Robinson commented on how fun it was to fly with Terry, the rookie. He said it was like "flying with your 12 year old brother because everything was new and exciting to him. We all loved seeing his response to all the firsts in space."