Aggies in Space

Former student makes second trip into space to work on Space Station

By: Angel Hadnott

Posted: 7/24/08

As children, career ambitions range from growing up to be a doctor to becoming a police officer. The ones unafraid of dreaming big choose to be an astronaut.

Michael Fossum, class of 1980, achieved his childhood dream of becoming an astronaut for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

In 2006, Fossum flew his first mission beyond the earths atmosphere. In 2008, Fossum again was selected to carry out a mission in outer space code named STS-124 by NASA, the goal of the crew's mission was to add a Japanese laboratory to the International Space Station. The lab was named "Kibo," Japanese for hope.

Fossum returned from his flight on June 15.

"The major part of [the STS-124 mission] was accomplished when we moved the lab from the space shuttle's payload bay and attached it to the space station," Fossum said. "We still have a lot of work to do inside the new module to install and activate its many systems."

A normal day in space for Fossum consisted of waking up and rolling up a sleeping bag, getting cleaned up, eating breakfast and reviewing notes and procedures sent up by mission control.

Fossum's favorite food in space, as well as on campus, was scrambled eggs.

"There was never a shortage of things to do during the day," Fossum said. "It was rare to take a real lunch break. Sometimes I'd grab a tortilla with peanut butter,and then get back to work."

"One of the biggest surprises on my first flight two years ago was how incredibly busy it was for those 16 hours every day," Fossum said. "It was hard to sneak a few minutes to look out the window."

Fossum said his first flight in space was like a dream in his memory."

In spite of years of dreaming and training, it was hard to believe it was really happening," Fossum said. "I'll never forget my first look out in the window soon after the main engines cut off and we were in space," he said.

"The first time I slid out of the airlock for a spacewalk was even more amazing,"Fossum said. "I'm hanging there holding on to a skinny handrail, looking at the space station suspended in space,with nothing between us and the ground about 220 miles below. Even though we were traveling about 17,500 mph, it looks like we're motionless. Then you see this blue and white ball rotating below you at about five miles per second."

Fossum said zero gravity was fun.

"It's an awesome feeling to do flips and effortlessly propel yourself around the space station," he said.

When Fossum is not training for a mission,he supports those who are coming up next.

"Since I've worked around NASA for many years, I have lots of friends in different areas… I always know how to go and find the details and I like to think I'm pretty good at helping find solutions to problems,"Fossum said.

Fossum said the people he meets through his job and traveling are never able to understand the Aggie spirit or tradition. During Fossum's first mission,Fossum recalled the president's comment that the massive amount of messages and calls that were received regarding the mission were from his, "Aggie Homeboys."