Gena Carpenter (left) is all smiles as she watches the launch of the Columbia space shuttle Tuesday afternoon. Ms. Carpenter is the sister of Shuttle astronaut Susan Still and was watching the launch along with family and staff members at her dad's office in Augusta.MICHAEL HOLAHAN/STAFF

Still's family watch launch from home

Web posted Jul. 02 at 12:37 AM

By Tom Corwin
Staff Writer

She knew what was going to happen, had seen it firsthand last time and said repeatedly there was no reason to worry. But as her sister was launched into space, Gena Carpenter dug her fingernails unconsciously into a cabinet as she leaned against it.

Though most of the staff in the conference room at Physicians' Multispecialty Group had gone to watch Lt. Cmdr. Susan Still's first launch in April, there was still a loud ``Oooh'' as the shuttle Columbia's engines ignited in a ball of flame.

``That's just beautiful,'' said Sandra McGovern, director of finance for the physician group that includes Lt. Cmdr. Still's father, Dr. Joseph Still.

STS-94 hurtles skyward on it's historic mission Tuesday. Cindy Blanchard - Staff Photographer

Ms. Carpenter and her sister-in-law, Julie Nevils, giggled as a reporter on television gushed about the experience of watching the shuttle launch.

``I know that feeling,'' Ms. Carpenter whispered to Mrs. Nevils.

Now they'll spend day after day watching the NASA-TV channel, hoping to catch a glimpse of their sister in space.

``That's the only channel the television stays on,'' Mrs. Nevils said. ``That was real reassuring (last time) to see her and see she's fine and bouncing around in the air.''

Ms. Carpenter joked it was now time to ``go home and watch her hair fly up. We told her to take some barrettes this time. She said she was going to get a headband.''

There is one other channel for communication: the Internet. The family will wait for an e-mail message from Lt. Cmdr. Still first before trying to contact her. They hope to hear from her by this morning.

``Last time, the first e-mail we got said, `Hi Dad,''' Ms. Carpenter said.

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