My night with the NASA all stars

---

Well, I could say my day was pants - my husband put the phone down on me twice and I felt ill and miserable in my hotel room - but then!

Then I dragged myself out to dinner with Dottie Lee - who designed Apollo and the Shuttle - and we were joined by Aneta Davis who wrote to me today about my book (she was an early feminist campaigner and unionist at NASA) and John Llewellyn (who helped bring back Apollo 13 and is featured in the movie!!). Over our Indian meal, we discussed all kinds of fascinating things. How sexually wild the Apollo days were at NASA - sounds a brilliant place to be young and clever! - all the way to saving Apollo 13, the Columbia re-entry disaster and all kinds of famous names, including astronauts and flight directors which they knew personally. Amazing. Such great gossip!!

I was in awe of their immense achievements - and yet these people were so modest. I came home feeling so honored to be with them - and star-struck too. They're totally inspirational. Dottie's mother apparently told her: "You can do anything you want and anything you have to." Such wonderful words. I really think I'd love to live by them.

These people have stories which really need to be told - they've had interviews and documentaries done on them, but books would be good. They're such powerful characters. Aneta especially is interested in writing up her stuff & I'd love to help her. I think I have finally found a reason to return to Houston - they kept telling me that I should come back. Very sweet. I just need to get an advance or some research grant to get all this going.

They also seemed to suffer a bit from the come down syndrome suffered by some astronauts -"Nothing was that fun after," Aneta said. Dottie's still working full-time at 80 - after fighting cancer and having a gall baldder operation three weeks ago! I tell you, these Southern belles are tough stuff, but so refined with it!

It's so important to record the rememberances of that generation as they're all getting older & it's such an historic period. The cultural history of early NASA - splashdown/ mission ending parties sound fun! - needs documenting, albeit in fiction. I think their insights will give my work authenticity - even if they think a woman in space back then would be almost impossible and Moon bases and Mars literally beyond our reach because of the limits of computing at that point.

It's incredible to have such great minds to pick. I like being a writer tonight. I may be broke and doubt myself constantly. I may have a mad/ sad life at times. But I get to meet heroes. I kept thinking of how my dad - as an engineer and space fan - would feel sitting there at that table. I think I was asking questions for him, as much as for me. I don't think he's reading this blog - but I am following his footsteps across the Moon.

---