Most of the time when I try to recall people I've met, I come up blank until the next day when I'm doing something else, especially with actors.
I never go geek mode and never interrupt their day, but sometimes you just have to say, "Hey, how's it goin'? Love your music/movies/etc."
Astronauts:
Alan Shepherd in the MCC restroom during the 20th Anniversary of the Lunar Landing. Arrogant but funny, and no, I didn't shake his hand!
Deke Slayton while he was fiddling with his yellow Stearman he kept next to the drop zone hanger in League City. His facial expression was intimidating and serious, but start talking aircraft and he warmed up. Sadly, he died a few years later.
Jim Lovell (Gemini 7, Apollo 8 and 13) was a neighbor when I was in high school, and we didn't even know he was a former astronaut at first. Really nice, unassuming guy. I think he was going through a divorce. He loved his old Mustang.
Rusty Schweickart (Apollo 9 and Skylab 2) was a quiet but kind hearted guy. We met during the 20th Anniversary of the Lunar Landing.
Dr. William Fisher (STS 51-I) was working in the Clear Lake Hospital ER when I was a student doing clinicals there. He was nuts, but in a funny way.
Sam Gemar (STS-38, STS-48, STS-62) was in the Nassau Bay VFD with me and active when not assigned to a mission. He was really fun to hang out with and definitely one of the guys!
Mike Massimino (STS-109, STS-125) was at a community swap meet at the Gilruth Center. He was one of the people who repaired the Hubble. He started giving me shit about the Bruins jersey I was wearing, threatening to double the price of something my wife was buying! He's an Islander fan. Funny, but intense guy. After the sell, I let him know my wife is a Flyers fan and he laughed while threatened to take everything back.
Christa McAuliffe (51-L) had an office in the building I first worked in at JSC, since the astronaut office building ran out of room for the "tourist" astronauts. She was really sweet. We mostly talking about teaching and kids since my sister was also a teacher.
Story Musgrave flew 6 shuttle missions and is likely the most intelligent person I've ever met. I knew his son, Scott, but never made the connection until Story showed up at one of his gigs. He had earplugs in! I remember him listening to classical music while we were performing his EVA suit bends prevention training and testing.
That is a hell of a list. The only astronaut I ever "met" was Neil Armstrong. I've told the story here before. He was a special guest for the graduation ceremony for the school of science when I got my Ph.D. degree from Purdue. His undergrad degree was from Purdue and he was a pretty regular sight on campus for homecoming and graduations in my era at Purdue. I got to shake his hand when I walked across the stage at graduation. The dean read my thesis title when I walked across the stage to get my diploma and Armstrong said "you must be pretty smart, I don't know what the hell any of that means" to me when he shook my hand. It was handshake with the Dean, handshake from your thesis advisor, and then Armstrong. They did it for all the Ph.D. graduates that day for the sciences. It is one of my most vivid and memorable life experiences. I think we spend about 3 seconds together, but I think about it a lot. I'm betting he said the same the the other doctoral students who walked that afternoon. No where near as awesome as your actual conversations with astronauts.
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