# My Outer Space Number Is One Again

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-outer-space-number-is-one-again/72704>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [July 16, 2001, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-outer-space-number-is-one-again/72704 "2001-07-16T17:11:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![pluto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f08c70/32.png) [@pluto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pluto)\
**Post date:** [July 16, 2001, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-outer-space-number-is-one-again/72704/1 "2001-07-16T17:11:35Z")

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A former coworker of mine, Janet Kavandi, is back in space again aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis. She runs the robot arm to assist the spacewalkers. In her off hours she writes me friendly notes, asking my advice.

All of the foregoing is true except the part about the notes. She is technically a former coworker since we worked for the same group here at Boeing. I even actually met her once–at her farewell after she’d been selected as an astronaut. She even autographed an astronomy book of mine: “Always look to the stars! Janet Kavandi”. Hey, I guess that’s a friendly note! So it’s all true!

So if any of you need favors, gifts, personal appearances, etc. from the astronaut corps contact me. Bring large sums of money. And some for the astronauts too.

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**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\
**Post date:** [July 16, 2001, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-outer-space-number-is-one-again/72704/2 "2001-07-16T17:24:07Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> _Originally posted by pluto_:
> 
> She runs the robot arm to assist the spacewalkers.

Can she make it flip the bird?

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**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\
**Post date:** [July 16, 2001, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-outer-space-number-is-one-again/72704/3 "2001-07-16T17:25:41Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> _Originally posted by pluto_:
> 
> She runs the robot arm to assist the spacewalkers.

Can she make it flip the bird in the general direction of China?

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**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\
**Post date:** [July 16, 2001, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-outer-space-number-is-one-again/72704/4 "2001-07-16T18:20:41Z")

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Aw, crap. I thought this thread was going to be about the reinstatement of Pluto as a planet.

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**Author:** ![Opengrave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/919ad9/32.png) [@Opengrave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Opengrave)\
**Post date:** [July 16, 2001, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-outer-space-number-is-one-again/72704/5 "2001-07-16T20:41:43Z")

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My college roommate grew up in Clear Lake, TX– literally right across the street from NASA. All sorts of astronauts live in his neighborhood. I used to think it was really cool to see them on TV and ask him about them. Comments were always something like “oh man, you should see the hideous shutters on _his_ house. He may be an astronaut but man, he can’t paint!” The degree to which he was nonplussed by an astronaut was amazing.
