09-24-2021, 09:40 PM
About Oliver.
Oliver wanted to go on this flight. I mean, he really really wanted to go. Of course, he isn't a billionaire. And he didn't fit the qualifications of most of the crew. One earned a spot as a former child cancer survivor at St. Judes, now a doctor there. One won an entrepreneurial spirit contest. The last seat was a drawing where you could get tickets by donating to St. Judes. The more the donation, the more tickets. Oliver ran the numbers, saw an opening, and went for it. I think he maxed out on possible tickets, and he did other stuff that would gain more tickets, like emailing them every day.
Ultimately he lost. Some guy won the drawing, broke his leg, and was allowed to transfer his seat to friend Chris. But there was one more name drawn, and that was Oliver, winning a trip for four to watch the launch and partake of the event activities.
Of the crew, Chris is the blandest. They really needed an Oliver. He could have added so much color. He's lively and engaging, always chatting people up at parties -- and there were parties galore, the pre-launch party, the after-launch party, the splashdown party. The question always being asked is, "How are you here?" Most people are family and friends of a crew member, or somehow associated with St. Judes. Or a family with a child patient at St. Judes. Or even at another medical facility. All told, the number of invitees grew to an estimated 550 to 1000. In attendance were a whole lot of former astronauts or technicians and engineers who had worked on earlier NASA missions, as well as a good many fighter jet pilots past and present. Oliver even met a guy who did MIG maintenance. This isn't so surprising when you consider that billionaire Jared owns a sizable fleet of fighter jets, including one MIG. In fact, he has the biggest air force of any civilian. And they're not just for show. He flies them, and has logged more hours than many military pilots.
But people are always surprised, and impressed, when they learn how Oliver got here. Because he, out of everyone in attendance, came closest to being on that flight. He very nearly pulled it off.
At the after-launch party, LCF and I came upon Oliver chatting up a couple named MJ and Keegan. MJ is an ex-fighter jet pilot now flying commercially for Southwestern. It's not clear how they got invited. But MJ is a member of an all jet-pilot band, and his band was invited to perform at the splashdown party. When he inquired who else would be performing at that event, the answer was, "Oh, we're still pinning that down. Maybe Green Day. Or Coldplay. Maybe Dave Groehl." Hearing those big names, he declined. [Note: I have since heard that none of these performed, and I'm not certain who did.]
MJ and Keegan are impressed that Oliver came so close to being among the crew. During our chat, which wanders all over the place, the question is asked of all parties, "Given the opportunity, would you go up?" Oliver would do so without hesitation, and he's determined to keep trying. Others wouldn't. MJ would. In fact, MJ said he'd go on a flight to Mars. Even a one-way flight. After which he says in an aside to his wife, "Sorry, honey. No hard feelings." And it's clear she isn't taken by surprise. She knows him only too well.
There's one other group of people at these parties and events. SpaceX ninjas. Any time something starts going awry, a SpaceX ninja will pop up and set things back on course. They don't really deny being SpaceX, but they hide their credentials and don't make it obvious. They don't want to steal thunder from the civilian crew, or overshadow the events in any way. But they're there, lurking in the shadows, making certain all the festivities and events go off without a hitch.
(Coming up: how a prominent space ninja saved us from missing the launch.)
Oliver wanted to go on this flight. I mean, he really really wanted to go. Of course, he isn't a billionaire. And he didn't fit the qualifications of most of the crew. One earned a spot as a former child cancer survivor at St. Judes, now a doctor there. One won an entrepreneurial spirit contest. The last seat was a drawing where you could get tickets by donating to St. Judes. The more the donation, the more tickets. Oliver ran the numbers, saw an opening, and went for it. I think he maxed out on possible tickets, and he did other stuff that would gain more tickets, like emailing them every day.
Ultimately he lost. Some guy won the drawing, broke his leg, and was allowed to transfer his seat to friend Chris. But there was one more name drawn, and that was Oliver, winning a trip for four to watch the launch and partake of the event activities.
Of the crew, Chris is the blandest. They really needed an Oliver. He could have added so much color. He's lively and engaging, always chatting people up at parties -- and there were parties galore, the pre-launch party, the after-launch party, the splashdown party. The question always being asked is, "How are you here?" Most people are family and friends of a crew member, or somehow associated with St. Judes. Or a family with a child patient at St. Judes. Or even at another medical facility. All told, the number of invitees grew to an estimated 550 to 1000. In attendance were a whole lot of former astronauts or technicians and engineers who had worked on earlier NASA missions, as well as a good many fighter jet pilots past and present. Oliver even met a guy who did MIG maintenance. This isn't so surprising when you consider that billionaire Jared owns a sizable fleet of fighter jets, including one MIG. In fact, he has the biggest air force of any civilian. And they're not just for show. He flies them, and has logged more hours than many military pilots.
But people are always surprised, and impressed, when they learn how Oliver got here. Because he, out of everyone in attendance, came closest to being on that flight. He very nearly pulled it off.
At the after-launch party, LCF and I came upon Oliver chatting up a couple named MJ and Keegan. MJ is an ex-fighter jet pilot now flying commercially for Southwestern. It's not clear how they got invited. But MJ is a member of an all jet-pilot band, and his band was invited to perform at the splashdown party. When he inquired who else would be performing at that event, the answer was, "Oh, we're still pinning that down. Maybe Green Day. Or Coldplay. Maybe Dave Groehl." Hearing those big names, he declined. [Note: I have since heard that none of these performed, and I'm not certain who did.]
MJ and Keegan are impressed that Oliver came so close to being among the crew. During our chat, which wanders all over the place, the question is asked of all parties, "Given the opportunity, would you go up?" Oliver would do so without hesitation, and he's determined to keep trying. Others wouldn't. MJ would. In fact, MJ said he'd go on a flight to Mars. Even a one-way flight. After which he says in an aside to his wife, "Sorry, honey. No hard feelings." And it's clear she isn't taken by surprise. She knows him only too well.
There's one other group of people at these parties and events. SpaceX ninjas. Any time something starts going awry, a SpaceX ninja will pop up and set things back on course. They don't really deny being SpaceX, but they hide their credentials and don't make it obvious. They don't want to steal thunder from the civilian crew, or overshadow the events in any way. But they're there, lurking in the shadows, making certain all the festivities and events go off without a hitch.
(Coming up: how a prominent space ninja saved us from missing the launch.)