Crew of STS-129 - Work hard and play hard

November 23, 12:27 PMCape Canaveral Space Program ExaminerJason Rhian

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From left to right, Robert Satecher, Barry Wilmore and Leland Melvin prepare for STS-129.

Image Credit: NASA

The crew of STS-129 onboard the space shuttle Atlantis must realize that theirs is a shorter-than-average mission, (STS-129 is scheduled to last only 11days), therefore they are making the most of every second they have available to them.  When in the inky black of space the crew hammers out its assignments in record time.  When inside, the crew shook off numerous false "depress alarms", (you know those pesky things that are telling you your air is leaking out into space).  With the pace of work, the alarms must have seemed like an annoyance to this crew, making one imagine a slightly modified quote from Jesse "The Body' Ventura from the film Predator - "I ain't got time to breathe!" 

Leland Melvin and Robert Satcher, (an orthapedic surgeon) while being interviewed by the Tom Joyner Morning Show were asked if they had done the "moonwalk" dance made famous by Michael Jackson.  Ordinarily these highly professional and stoic individuals would chuckle and carry on with the interview - not this time.  Satcher proceeded to perform the dance maneuver behind his crew mate, (in zero gravity, Satcher slid up to the ceiling while conducting his performance).

Later views of the crew during their off time showed that they played as hard as they worked.  An impromptu game of football took place on the orbiting laboratory with Melvin being tackled by Pilot Barry Wilmore.  It is highly unlikely that Melvin lost the ball however as his job before joining NASA was with the NFL - as a lineman for the Detroit Lions.

Few however can criticize the crew for taking some time off, the crew has consistently been ahead of schedule with most tasks assigned to it.  The only exception was a delay for the third and final space walk, which was delayed to a technical issue.  Moreover, the crew has used its downtime to perform some solid public relations for the space agency.  Between the football games, moonwalking and a great tour of the station-shuttle complex by Wilmore - the crew has done NASA proud.

The crew of STS-129 talks to Tennessee Tech University and to the Tom Joyner Morning Show.