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Endeavour's Crew Trade Radar for Rodeo
By Glen Golightly
Houston Bureau Chief
posted: 10:40 am ET
20 February 2000
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rodeo_endeavour_000220 HOUSTON Endeavours astronauts gave up the stars for spurs as they gave a big howdy to the crowd at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Saturday night. As the orbiter passed over Seattle, Washington Saturday evening, Commander Kevin Kregel and payload specialists, Janet Kavandi and Gerhard "Hoss" Thiele appeared live via video before more than 56,000 in the Astrodome. "Theres only one place better that we would rather be than in space and thats at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo," Kregel said. "In fact, when this crew first got together as a group, we went to the rodeo together as a family." Kregel praised the rodeos volunteers who raise money for nearly $10 million in scholarships annually. About two million people typically attend the two-week event. "I wish we could see the show," Kregel told the crowd. "We do have our barbecue beef on board and well be rooting for you and all the cowboys doing all their 'rodeoing.'" Thiele, a German astronaut, explained his rather unusual nickname of "Hoss" for the audience. "I showed up at a party dressed as a cowboy from west Texas and the name stuck," he said. By early Sunday, Endeavour had radar mapped 93 percent of the surface or more than 44.7 million square miles (115.8 million square kilometers) at least once. About 33.4 million square miles (86.5 million square kilometers) has been mapped at least twice. Mission managers extended the mapping operation nine hours based on the amount of fuel and electricity conserved during the mission. Mapping operations end early Monday morning and the 200-foot radar mast will be retracted. Endeavour heads to the corral for a scheduled landing at Kennedy Space Center at 4:52 p.m. Eastern Standard Time Tuesday.
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