SPACE AMBASSADOR

Many Southeast Missourians have watched science fiction become reality. Books that described trips to the moon or other planets used to fire the imaginations of young readers who now watch casually as powerful rocket boosters lift astronauts into space. Old television shows captured the attention of yet another generation, but by that time rockets were actually blasting off with their mostly mechanical payloads. By the time TV shows were portraying astronauts in space, NASA was actually gearing up to do the real thing.

At a service-club luncheon in Cape Girardeau this week, one of the high-achieving high school students who was a special guest said his plans included college and possible a career as an astronaut. Club members didn't blink an eye, knowing full well the bright, ambitious student might very well go to work some day -- in space.

For residents of this area, the matter-of-fact attitude toward astronauts and space travel can be attributed in large part to the many accomplishments of Astronaut Linda Godwin, one of our own from Oak Ridge. The alumnus of Jackson High School, Southeast Missouri State University and the University of Missouri-Columbia is the deputy chief of the astronaut office at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. She has flown aboard two shuttle missions already, one in 1991 and another in 1994.

Barring delays which are a part of the day-to-day routine for the space program, Godwin will be on the Atlantis mission scheduled for March 21. This mission will dock with the Soviet space station Mir. In addition, Godwin will walk in space to attach scientific equipment to Mir's exterior.

Godwin's many relatives and friends will be watching this shuttle mission closely and with a personal interest that goes far beyond the general public's curiosity about space missions.

It is this same sense of pride and familiarity that makes Godwin an ambassador for all of Southeast Missouri. She represents the possibilities of all those who seek to make a significant contribution whether larger or small. When Atlantis lifts off next month, there will be a vast reservoir of support and good wishes for a successful mission from home.