Eyeworld

EW MEETING REPORTER 104 February 2017 Reporting from Hawaiian Eye 2017 T he guest speaker for Hawaiian Eye 2017 was Capt. Mark Kelly, a retired astronaut who completed four space missions, includ- ing commanding the Space Shuttle Endeavour on its final flight. He discussed some of his many experi- ences in the Navy, as an astronaut, and also with his wife, Gabrielle Giffords. "Like many of you, I come from a rather ordinary background," he said. Capt. Kelly grew up in New Jersey. His father was a police detec- tive. He discussed how his mother decided to become a police officer, too, which was very difficult for a woman in New Jersey in the 1970s. Capt. Kelly spoke about his mother's determination, particularly in training for the physical test to become a police officer and being able to climb a 7-foot wall. "That was the first time in my life that I saw the power of having a goal and a plan to get it done," he said. After that, he was motivated to do better in school. Capt. Kelly said he had lofty goals for himself. He wanted to be the first person to walk on Mars, and although he didn't quite meet this goal before leaving NASA several years ago, he did make it into space four times. Prior to his time at NASA, Capt. Kelly was an aviator with the Navy. He spoke about his experience in flight school and the challenges he faced. "How good you are at the beginning is not a measurement of how good you can become," he said, noting that he thinks he is a prime example of the benefits of practice, persistence, and not giving up. "For all of us, life is a set of challenges." He also discussed his relation- ship with his wife, who had many goals she wanted to achieve, with one of those being to serve her com- munity as member of Congress. Taro fields in beautiful Hanalei Valley Reporting from Hawaiian Eye 2017, January 14–20, Kauai, Hawaii Sponsored by

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