Ned Potter is the science correspondent for ABC's "World News with Charles Gibson." He has reported on such topics as space exploration, the human genome and climate change.
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The Kindness of Strangers
March 27, 2009 6:03 PM
They began to show up after the Challenger disaster. In 1988, during NASA's first shuttle flight after the accident, a bouquet of roses was delivered to Mission Control in Houston. Seven red ones, plus one white.
There was a note attached -- best wishes and a safe flight from Mark and Terry Shelton and their daughter MacKenzie -- but it didn't say who they were or where they lived. After a bit of hesitation, controllers put the roses in a vase near the flight director's control console, a bit of color amid readout screens and flight plan booklets.
Milt Heflin, a veteran flight director, was touched and intrigued. "Frankly, people didn't send things like that to mission control," says NASA's James Hartsfield. Heflin called the florists who had delivered them. They were at first reluctant to give out personal information.
It turned out the Sheltons were just an American family, like yours or mine, from the Dallas suburbs. Mark Shelton, a computer engineer, had been a space buff since childhood. His wife Terry is in the clothing business. MacKenzie, a toddler in 1988, is now 23 and studying to be a special-education teacher.
"I thought it would be nice to remind them the public is out there, and they care," said Mark Shelton in a phone interview. "It's a dangerous job the astronauts have, and so many people are responsible for their lives, and they take it very seriously."
The flowers have kept coming, one bouquet during every shuttle flight. There will always be as many colored roses as there are astronauts on the mission (most shuttles carry seven), plus one white one. Heflin asked why. In memory of the astronauts who gave their lives, said the Sheltons.
This month's mission, STS-119, flown by the shuttle Discovery, was the hundredth since the Sheltons began their quiet tradition, and NASA invited them down to Houston for a ceremony of appreciation.
"I think it means so much because we never asked for it," said Heflin. "We never expected it. We believe it truly represents the sentiment of a large part of the public, as well as a very personal gesture."
(Photo: the bouquet for STS-114 in 2005, the first flight after the Columbia accident. Courtesy NASA.)
March 27, 2009 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (28)
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nice people
Posted by: justsane | Mar 27, 2009 6:20:03 PM
If you read "Failure is no Option" by Gene Kranz you'll see that back in the Gemini & Apollo missions a mystery lady sent flowers to Mission Control for every flight. Mission Control would put them in a place TV cameras would pick them up, so the woman would know Mission Control got them and appreciated them. THanks to the Skelton's for re-starting this tradition.
Posted by: VC | Mar 27, 2009 6:30:02 PM
ABCnews - Instead of "The mysterious case of the space flowers," your Top Headline should have read, "Space flowers mystery, solved." Although it was a nice story, I thought I was going to be intrigued by a mystery and had to read the story three times before I realized there wasn't one and that the mystery had been solved. Thanks anyway.
Posted by: Paula | Mar 27, 2009 6:43:39 PM
great story, nice to reaffirm the decency present in the general public amidst the usual news of the day
Posted by: Alex | Mar 27, 2009 6:44:51 PM
So very thoughtful. thank you!!!
Posted by: Justme8811 | Mar 27, 2009 6:48:35 PM
My wife just loves flowers...we need more people like that.
Posted by: Herbert Wetherby | Mar 27, 2009 6:53:22 PM
This is just a really cool story!! Mark and Terry Shelton prove that there are good people out in this world. I'm sure they did not do this in order to gain any fame but they deserve the biggest Thank You for lifting the spirits of those at NASA. Also, I am sure that the families that have lost someone in the accidents at NASA appreciate that a perfect stranger has thought about their loved ones!!
Great story on a Friday!!
Posted by: JustJames4Once | Mar 27, 2009 6:56:55 PM
How wonderful to actually read something heartwarming for a change. The Sheltons are great Americans---fabulous people.
Posted by: JB | Mar 27, 2009 7:29:15 PM
Thanks for this great story, perfect for a Friday afternoon. Hope we all try to have a kind smile with us all weekend.
Posted by: Ale | Mar 27, 2009 7:44:55 PM
God Bless this family for their selfless act.
I agree with other posters - this is a great human interest piece to read on a Friday evening. If anyone at ABC News even reads these posts....hey, d'ya think we can get MORE news like this and less of the junk that's being reported on now?
It would be greatly appreciated!
Posted by: LuvnUSA | Mar 27, 2009 8:00:26 PM
Thank you for this heartwarming and feel good story. So much depressing news lately, it was really nice to just smile and think about how excited this country used to get every time there was a rocket launched with our men and women aboard. Now, everyone is so jaded, no one is watching these events any more. What a shame. Thank you to the Shelton family.
Posted by: Sandy | Mar 27, 2009 8:54:55 PM
Love is every where, I love ABC
Posted by: Gene | Mar 27, 2009 9:30:49 PM
Beautiful people.
Posted by: Gabriel Michas | Mar 28, 2009 1:39:36 AM
What a really nice and pleasing story to read. I'll always love our space program.
Thank you NASA and a big thank you to the Sheltons.
Posted by: Bill | Mar 28, 2009 1:54:49 AM
Wonderful people. Its possible to do good. Great lesson for my life. Thanks.
Posted by: Question | Mar 28, 2009 2:56:56 AM
What a sweet heart.
Posted by: Yabin Li | Mar 28, 2009 3:42:44 AM
Slow news day.
Posted by: WorldclaZZ | Mar 28, 2009 6:02:51 AM
I wish I had extra money enough to send flowers to NASA a hundred times...
Posted by: Julie | Mar 28, 2009 6:14:05 AM
And the "mystery" about this is...?
Posted by: parrishkline | Mar 28, 2009 7:09:03 AM
a caring, thoughtful act, how rare today. For both the Shelton's And A B C
Posted by: David Natale | Mar 28, 2009 10:44:48 AM
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