ISS Downlink Winner: Steven Irving

Steven Irving is a 4th grader at Memorial Elementary in McMinnville, Ore. He submitted the following entry to the Museum’s ISS Downlink contest in order to win a seat at the question and answer session with astronauts on Jan. 19.

The Big Moment of Blast-Off

 I was so happy I was one of the few kids out of the entire U.S.A. to go on this perilous journey to the International Space Station. I went through the two whole years of training underwater and in a space shuttle simulator for many hours at a time. It was all up to this moment in my life.

 I knew I was a very lucky Kid! I also knew me, and the five other kids were the first kids launched into orbit. Then, I heard the man from Mission Control say, “ten, nine, eight” …so I got ready for the biggest moment in my life. I was set and ready for ignition. I was all strapped in, and I was so excited! And Mission Control continued, “seven, six, five four…” I gave one last wave to my family and friends on the video screen.

 I was all pumped up about microgravity instead of normal gravity, because that meant I got to float through the air. I was also grateful that we had oxygen tanks. I had a lot running through my mind. I just could not wait to see what it looked like in outer space! “Three, two, one, zero, ignition!” I felt the jolt of blast-off. I was thinking I witnessed at least 2 G’s! I saw everything whiz by me.

 When we finally got to the International Space Station, I looked back to where I was just a couple of hours ago. I thought I was Oregon, but I wasn’t positive. I could even see the Great Barrier Reef in Australia!

 On the Second week, I was pretty tired because I only got about 6-8 hours of sleep a day. I also missed my friends and family down on Earth. But I started making friends with the five other kids President Obama let NASA take on this wonderful journey to the International Space Station!

Dedicated: to the hard working NASA astronauts at the International Space Station.