Thread by @PaulDJohnston

A little story about me and space and how I have loved space ever since I was little.

Somewhere in my loft I have a bunch of stuff from @NASA from the early 80s including a signed photograph from an astronaut.

I grew up in rural England and didn't go to the US until I was 25

My Mum used to help look after a very elderly lady in our small town in rural England, and because I was young I'd occasionally have to tag along which was ok. Her son lived in the US and worked at NASA and couldn't come over often. I have no idea what he did, I was very young.

He found out that I liked space (I mean, who didn't?) and sent me a whole bundle of NASA stuff... photos, posters, mission photos, info cards... The bundle was about an inch thick.

But there was one thing in there that nobody in my rural town of 15000 had...

In the bundle that I received as a 6 or 7 year old boy (about that age I think), was a photograph of an astronaut, signed by that astronaut.

Not just signed, but with a message to me and with my name in it.

From a real space man.

A man who had gone on a rocket into space

It blew my mind.

It still blows my mind.

And bearing in mind this was the early 80s (I think) then it was still early days for the Shuttle, and it wasn't routine.

The whole Moon Landing stuff makes me want to go find that bundle again.

Space is still awe inspiring

I had forgotten about that bundle up in the loft until this evening. It reminds me of how some things can evoke such emotions in me, and other things really don't.

Going into space is an incredible adventure, but it's not one that I will ever go on I don't think.

I want to find that emotion, that adventure again, that feeling of wonder.

I want to hold it and harness that hope for the future.

Because when we dream big and dream together, we can do amazing things.

And it all starts with inspiring the kids.