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 Still's First Mission |
 
Web posted July 1, 1997
By Amy Joyner
The 7-year-old had only one question for Lt. Cmdr. Susan Still when he met her Monday.
``When are you getting married?'' he asked.
The Augusta astronaut diplomatically dodged the question, saying her boyfriend, Lt. Cmdr. Colin Kilrain, has to pop the question first.
The astronaut's father invited Mark and his family, as well as 10 other burn patients, to witness his daughter's second space shuttle launch. Dr. Joseph Still is a plastic surgeon at the burn center at Columbia Augusta Regional Medical Center.
Mark's five siblings were burned in a house fire in 1993. He was sleeping in another room and was unhurt.
``It's very exciting. I found out this week I was going ,'' his brother, John Green, 11, said of the launch. ``I think I stayed awake two nights in a row.''
On Monday, the patients accompanied Dr. Still and his family on a special tour of Kennedy Space Center. The tour bus stopped at the shuttle landing site, and the children were able to talk with Lt. Cmdr. Still and her six shuttle crewmates across a parking lot.
Like the Green brothers and sisters, Megan Martin, 9, can't wait to see the shuttle rocket into space.
``I feel like it's going to be kind of exciting because I get to see a space shuttle for the first time,'' said Megan, who lives in McConnells, S.C. ``It's kind of neat knowing that my doctor's daughter is the pilot.
Dr. Still said he invited the burned children to the launch to inspire them to do well in school and shoot for the stars, like his daughter did.
``Susan is such an advocate for children,'' he said. ``It energizes the kids and they talk about it for weeks.''
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