Quick, when you think of being an astronaut, what's the first thing that comes to your mind? Space? Ok. Going to the moon? Ok. How about wearing a diaper under
your pressure suit while launching from earth in a space shuttle? Ok, maybe it's not the first thing that anyone thinks about, but it sure was reality for former astronaut, Mike Mullane. Mullane has completed three space missions aboard the shuttles, "Discovery" and "Atlantis", in his career and spoke at Benjamin Franklin Middle School early Friday morning, October 21. His granddaughter, Hanna Wade, currently attends BFMS and introduced her plain speaking grandfather from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
"I wasn't popular, athletic, good-looking or a genius," Mullane said as he began his presentation. "But, I had an amazing dream."
As a boy, he heard about Sputnik, the first artificial satellite that was sent into space by the former Soviet Union, and instantly knew that he wanted to be an astronaut. So when it was time for Mullane to attend college, he wanted to attend the Air Force Academy but was rejected, because his grades were too low. So, he applied for Westpoint, the United States Military Academy in New York, and barely got in. The three-time astronaut continually emphasized that he was not the greatest in anything but that he had an amazing dream of going to space.
"You have to dream big and set lofty goals for yourself," continued Mullane.
His dream was almost taken out to the trash when he graduated from Westpoint in 1967 and then realized he couldn't be an Air Force pilot, because he had bad eyes.
The course one had to take to be an astronaut was to become a pilot, then a test pilot, and then you could become an astronaut. But, he couldn't even start that journey, because he couldn't become a pilot. This led Mullane to his next point, "Take care of your body. Stay away from drugs and alcohol. You're going to need your body for your dream."
Ten years later, he realized his dream was still accessible when they changed the rules saying that you didn't have to be a pilot anymore before you became a missions specialist. So in 1978, Mullane was selected as a Mission Specialist in the first group of space shuttle astronauts. Through pictures and video, the enthusiastic Mullane shared his and his fellow astronauts' experiences of being in space including how they worked out, what they ate, and how they even went to the bathroom. He occasionally would throw out a joke every now and then such as how girls would have a bad hair day all the time from the weightlessness. Or perhaps it was from the decade.
Anyways, he ended his fascinating presentation with a last point: "Make school number one." A good last point to anyone wanting to pursue their dreams - even to those who are out of school.
Colonel Mullane was born September 10, 1945 in Wichita Falls, Texas but spent much of his youth in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he currently resides. Upon his graduation from West Point in 1967, he was commissioned in the United States Air Force. As a Weapon Systems Operator aboard RF-4C Phantom aircraft, he completed 134 combat missions in Vietnam. He holds a Master's of Science Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology and is also a graduate of the Air Force Flight Test Engineer School at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
Mullane was selected as a Mission Specialist in 1978 in the first group of Space Shuttle 
Astronauts. He completed three space missions aboard the Shuttles Discovery (STS-41D) and Atlantis (STS-27 & 36) before retiring from NASA and the Air Force in 1990.
Mullane has been inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame and is the recipient of many awards, including the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross, Legion of Merit and the NASA Space Flight Medal.
Since his retirement from NASA, Colonel Mullane has written an award-winning children's book, Liftoff! An Astronaut's Dream, and a popular space-fact book, Do Your Ears Pop In Space? His memoir, Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut, has been reviewed in the New York Times and on the Jon Stewart Daily Show. It has also been featured on Barnes and Noble’s 2010 recommended summer reading list.
Mullane has held a lifelong passion for hiking and summited Africa’s highest peak, Mt. Kilimanjaro, on July 23, 2010.
Colonel Mullane has established himself as an acclaimed professional speaker on the topics of teamwork, leadership and safety. He has educated, entertained, inspired and thrilled tens of thousands of people from every walk of business and government with his incredibly unique programs.