Although few would argue that his mission was as romantic as the first moon walk, Sacco had many in the community pulling for him. When we look up at the night sky, most of what we see is darkness and there must be a certain amount of apprehension with putting oneself into orbit. Granted, here at WPI, we tend to think more of the technology associated with such a venture, but the excitement and the mystery of it all still caught up with us at times.
From the very dedicated members of the Zeolite Crystal Growth team who have worked tirelessly, mimicing Sacco's work on the shuttle, to the interested members of the community, we all cared. Some professors would comment that based on what they saw on the news, they felt that Sacco was either feeling great or feeling nauseated. Some of us tried to get down to one of the launch attempts and for those that were there for that seventh try, what a great reward.
We all got a chance to learn more about the man and his work and maybe even a little bit more about ourselves. There was a chance to get to know a few more people for who they are and what they do. Some lucky high school students in Worcester were able to participate in an experiment with Sacco last week and their lives have been touched with an experience they will not forget.
There was the WPI pennant that was visible in some of the shots of the shuttle, including the one when they threw out the ball for the world series. There will be the many stories that Professor Sacco will tell us when he gets back to campus. The countless connections that were made, from Robert Goddard being a WPI student and Sacco's department being located in Goddard Hall; to the quality of NASA food versus a good homecooked spagetti dinner. Interesting lessons for everyone were there for the taking.
So in closing, we have a message for the professor himself: Many people are happy that you have returned safely. Still more are glad that you could make the trip in the first place, you are a great representative for WPI and we are proud to be able to welcome you back in the near future.
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