When I heard him talk on the news for the first time, I knew...
Mike Melvill, the 63-year old guy who successfully piloted the very first privately-financed aircraft into space in a historic mission, is a South African!
Formerly from Durban where his sister still resides, Mike, who is also the very first civilian astronaut, and his wife (also South African) now live close to the Mojave Desert in California.
But what makes the story even more remarkable is that Mike never finished high school.
read more »Despite what Jon Stewart was saying last night on The Daily Show - something to the effect of "hunh. The designer of the totally untested, prototype spaceship didn't go with him on the flight? Go figure...", I gotta say that I am completely impressed with
a) The guy who flew the totally untested, prototype spaceship and
b) The guy who designed the totallly untested, prototype spaceship THAT WORKED!!
Personally, I'm terrified of the idea of going into space for more than a short jaunt (not the Stephen King "The Jaunt" short story, either). I like scuba diving, but only when I can swim to the surface in an emergency. If something goes wrong in space, you are f. u. c. k. e. d.
Period.
I just have to say THAT TOTALLY ROCKS!! I saw him on the news in a press confrence, and he was like, "I wasn't that scared going up, but coming down, I started to think, WHAT AM I DOING??"
And honestly, I didn't notice any sort of accent at all.
Thanks Maggie and Stacy! I was starting to think that people were getting annoyed with me whenever I bragged about the accomplishments of other South Africans, because nobody commented on the post for the longest time! (Or about Retief Goosen winning the US Open.)
You know, for the longest time, due to Apartheid, South Africans were banned from competing in all sorts of international events (you name it, from Miss Universe to the Olympic Games). So seeing my fellow countrymen and -women excelling on the world stage still makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.
But - and I didn't make this clear when I posted about it - I don't find the story remarkable ONLY because he is South African. The fact that he was a self-taught engineer and that he had this dream of flying and managed to do it all AND become the first civilian astronaut without even finishing high school... that takes some doing! His brother-in-law told the South African media that Mike has an amazing mind, that he has this ability to see things and understand how it works.
I don't know... a story like that just gives me hope. I mean, I have so much (stupid, I know) angst about turning thirty in a few month's time, and the fact that he made a seemingly impossible dream come true at 63, well after the age the FAA forces pilots to retire... it's amazing. And the appeal just transcends all nationalities, because every person has a dream, no matter how deeply it's buried within.
Anyway, see? Now I'm just getting all corny and stuff.
P.S. Stacy, I'm sad to think that my accent will be entirely lost on you, ha ha, 'cause that's one of the only reasons why I stayed in the USA! Naah, I'm just kidding. Like I said, I could tell immediately that he is South African. The boy makes fun of me, because I tend to "sniff" out other South Africans almost wherever I go.
Wow, I didn't know he was 63!
That's amazing! I like that! I want to accomplish something like that when I'm that age! =)
Thanks for the birthday wishes. Thirty kicks ass..you've got everything to look forward to.
On the subject of Mike...listened to a radio interview with him on CapeTalk yesterday morning. It was probably the most interesting thing 've ever listened to. Remarkable guy. And yes...he's still got that Durban accent, mix with the American drawl. At the end of the conversation he said that even though he's been living in the US for 35 years, he's still very proudly South African and misses home.
This guy is a legend of note...well done to him...he makes all South African's very proud.
By the way, he although the failed matric at Hilton, he still says that South African education far outstrip that found in the US.
That's so awesome! Isn't it mad that Mark Shuttleworth becomes the SA posterboy but save for your post, I would never have heard of this guy?!?! I love stories like this - just to show the rest of the world that we are not some obscure banana republic, but a first rate country full of talented people. OK, let me rephrase that - not only to show the rest of the world, but also to remind South Africans living abroad that we are a fab nation (because they largely seem to be afflicted with a mental block against seeing anything good coming out of South Africa...).
I also sniff out that accent everywhere... saaaad, I know!! You can actually recognise the intonation before you can make out any words! Living in London has taught me though that some New Zealanders sound remarkably like they come from Durban ("I caught a fush for supper") ;-)