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Anorak News | Tradesman Re-entrance

Tradesman Re-entrance

by | 10th, July 2006

DID Piers Sellers, a British astronaut, suck on his space pencil when he saw the job he’d been asked to do?

What went through his mind as 280 miles over Asia he was asked to fix a “vital” data cable and test a robotic boom on the shuttle Discovery?

Not for no reason does Pier’s wife Mandy say this is her husband’s “dream”. What tradesman has not fantasised about such a callout? “I’m so proud of him,” says Mandy.

This will surely cost Nasa a pretty penny. Piers will do his best, but what with the specialist nature of the flux capactors and what not, the position of the stars and the new EU directive on cabling in space, there is no guarantee he won’t be called out again.

So Piers gets to work. And in the finest traditions of the great British worker it takes him 22 hours and 14 minutes, a record for walking in space.

Piers must be delighted. And though, by rights, he should charge for the full 23 hours, he might be prepared – just this once – to make it 22 hours for cash…



Posted: 10th, July 2006 | In: Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink