I was lucky enough to get the chance to catch-up with Cockeysville native and NASA Astronaut Reid Wiseman when he recently returned to his hometown for the first time since his six-month stint aboard the International Space Station (ISS).Wiseman served as a flight engineer during the mission and became an international sensation as he shared pictures and stories via social media throughout his journey.
One of my favorite pictures that Wiseman shared from the ISS featured a close-up of his childhood neighborhood along with the Loch Raven Reservoir which begged the question just how do you spot Springdale from space?Wiseman admitted that it takes a little bit of luck along with some perseverance.He began by trying to find the Chesapeake Bay and figured he could work his way along from there. But on the first attempt, he got distracted by Chicago and the Great Lakes and missed Maryland altogether.Luckily, the ISS orbits the earth 16 times a day so he quickly had another opportunity.He was soon able to pick out local landmarks like the Inner Harbor but one of the most helpful landmarks was a little bit surprising.
Wiseman said that the quarry along Beaver Dam Road is quite visible from space especially during the summer months when the limestone pit really contrasts with the deep green of the tree cover over the rest of the area.From there it was just a matter of using a big zoom lens on his camera to spot his childhood home along with the trails and roads that he and his brother used to explore as kids.
While back in town, Wiseman had the chance to connect with family, old friends and teachers such as Steve Shaw, his high school science teacher.He also thoroughly enjoyed revisiting some of his favorite childhood haunts.Wiseman gave a presentation at the Maryland Science Center, a place where he recalls spending "many hours as a kid daydreaming of the future."While there he was surprised by another of his Dulaney High School instructors, Dale McPherson, whom he hadn't seen since his junior year Russian language class.Wiseman was also hailed as a Baltimore County Hero by County Executive Kevin Kamenetz. It was even more special to receive the honor during a ceremony at the Historic Courthouse in Towson since Wiseman used to spend time there as a youngster with his father, a former county lawyer.
It was a long process that took Reid Wiseman into space and he observed that sometimes along the way he got caught up in the day-to-day details of just doing his job. But Wiseman said that meeting with school children, like he did in Baltimore and Sharpsburg during this visit, was a great reminder that his job is really an incredible one.Their questions, their excitement and their amazement is contagious and Wiseman says that "it just makes the experience that much richer." know that I can speak for your hometown, Reid, when I say thank you for taking us along for the ride.