What a blast! by Dr. Norm Thagard

By DR. NORM THAGARD - 08/25/05 - For the Journal-Constitution

College football reigns supreme among sports for many of the members of the professional astronaut corps. I wore my allegiance to Florida State on my sleeve, literally, because I often donned one or another of my FSU logo shirts for work.

I was elated when FSU defeated Texas Tech in the Tangerine Bowl in 1977 and disappointed when no bowl offer came in 1978 despite a pretty good season. In 1980 and especially in '81, the team came so close in the Orange Bowl.

Present in Doak Campbell Stadium in 1987 and again in '91, I was horrified when Miami defeated what appeared to me to be a better Seminole team. However, those losses were not as bad as the opening game shutout at the hands of the Hurricanes in the 1988 season. Tagged by some polls as the preseason No. 1 team, there were great expectations for the 'Noles.

My embarrassment was such that two days after the game, I considered playing hooky from the "All-Hands" meeting that the Chief of the Astronaut Office held every Monday morning. Anticipating numerous derisive comments from my colleagues, I raised my hand and was recognized just as the meeting began. "I can get anyone season tickets to the FSU games," I intoned. There was boisterous but understanding laughter, my discomfort was relieved, and I was able to live though the tribulation.

While in Russian language school in Monterey, Calif., in 1993 preparing for my flight to the Russian MIR space station, I watched on TV as Notre Dame temporarily blocked the road to the national championship. I was back home in Houston the next week watching Boston College do what the 'Noles couldn't do. I was present at that season's Orange Bowl game when, for the first time ever, FSU won the National Championship in football. I was as proud as a new papa.

The next season, my Russian crewmates and I were invited by Bobby Bowden to give the pep talk to the team the night before the Clemson game. Afterward, I swapped autographs with some of the team members. The exhilaration almost equaled that of riding on a rocket.

Saturday afternoon, Russian flight engineer Gennady Strekalov and I were watching from the sidelines as the Clemson offensive line warmed up in the end zone only a few feet from where we stood. Gennady, all 5 feet 8 of him, was awestruck. "They're huge!" he said to me. I thought quickly, replying "Oh, they're just average-sized for Americans." We got along famously during our four-month sojourn on the Space Station.

— Dr. Norm Thagard is a Florida State graduate and NASA astronaut who has logged more than 140 days in space.