Native astronaut encourages kids to reach for the stars

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When Commander John Herrington tells Native American children they should reach for the stars, he can do so with more authority than most. Not only did he reach for the stars, but soon he will be walking among them.

Next September, Herrington is going to make history when he becomes the first Native American in space.

Herrington's mother is from the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma and, although he didn't grow up on the reservation, he is a member.

Herrington will be a mission specialist aboard the space shuttle Endeavor for NASA's 113th shuttle mission, scheduled for launch Sept. 6, 2002.

Like many of us who have grown up in a world where space exploration was a reality, Herrington had childhood dreams of being an astronaut.

"I dreamed about it as a little kid, but I never really thought it was something I could achieve, you know. So it's one of those things. You dream about it, but you don't pursue it until the point in your life when you realize that you're going in the right direction."

The path Herrington traveled to become an astronaut was far from a direct route. The first part was a bit bumpy. And Herrington started on the journey without a map.

After graduating from Plano senior high school in 1976, he went to college, but without a clear idea of what he wanted to do.

"I've just always done things that I've enjoyed, that I thought I would enjoy or that would be a challenge," he said.

"I started out in college. Really, I wanted to work outdoors. I didn't really have any direction. My parents encouraged me to go to school, but they didn't really tell me what I should take. They left it up to me.

"I moved around a lot in school when I was a kid, and so I never really had a chance to get to know my counsellors and my teachers. So I didn't have a really good idea what I was good at. I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to work outside, and be outside, and do things outdoors. And money wasn't an issue. I wanted to have fun working. And I thought doing things outdoors would be that. And in first year, I didn't study very much at all. I ended up doing a lot of rock climbing and spending my time outdoors. It wasn't that I wasn't intelligent, it was the fact that I didn't concentrate on my studies and my grades suffered. I got kicked out."

It was after his suspension from college that Herrington discovered what direction he wanted to take on his career path.

"I worked at a variety of things for a few months, and ended up getting this job in Colorado, surveying, and over the next year that's what I did. And that's what got me excited about math. Doing engineering, and putting it into practice, and seeing what it really meant," he said.

Herrington then enrolled at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and after five years of studies, received a bachelor of science degree in applied mathematics in 1983.

"In the last year, I tutored a guy who was a retired navy captain, used to fly in World War II. He's the one who talked me into going into the navy. And that looked like it was a challenge," he said.

"I wasn't looking way down the road 20 years at what I'd be doing. I was looking, 'Is this something I'd like to do?' And if it wasn't, I'd go do something else. But I really enjoyed it. It was a real challenge. And my career just kind of flourished. I just really enjoyed it, and when you enjoy something, you do well at it," he said.

"I did well my first tour in the navy, and then I applied to be a test pilot, because I thought that would be exciting, and a chance to fly jets. And so I got picked for the test pilot school. You just don't go, you have to apply, and so I got accepted to it. Did that for a year of school, and a couple of years as a test pilot. And then earned a masters degree. Because this is the time I decided, 'Hey I'd love to be an astronaut. How do I get there from here?' I needed a master's degree to be competitive."

Herrington received a master of science degree in aeronautical ngineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1995, and then returned to the navy and started work in Washington, D.C. The next stop on his career path would be at NASA.

"This whole time, I applied twice to NASA. My second application is when I was interviewed, and I was selected that same application. So that was, wow, it was fantastic. Just really neat. Everything's just a challenge, and I enjoy it, and I love going to work."

During the mission that Herrington will be part of, the shuttle will dock with the International Space Station. Then, Herrington and another crew member will take part in three space walks to install a large truss onto the left side of the station.

When he speaks to groups of Native children, he has one message above all that he tries to impress upon them.

"That anything is possible. I mean, they can do anything they want to do. The trick is, is find something you like doing.

"And listen to the people around you that want to make a difference in your life. Because there were people in my life that made a difference. If I hadn't listened to them, I wouldn't be doing this, and I know that for a fact. And for whatever reasons, they decided to sit me aside and say, 'Hey, have you ever thought about doing this? You should try this.' I was fortunate that I listened to them," he said.

"A lot of these events that I go to and speak to them, obviously, will be a school environment or be a conference or something, where there are a lot of people there that are adults that are trying to make a difference in the lives of the kids. And the kids need to recognize that. That these people are giving of their time to do that so that they can achieve their full potential. So I kind of like to plant that seed, and get them to realize, to look around the room and go, 'Wow, these people do care about me.' You know you're not alone out there."

Once he's realized his dream of going into space, Herrington plans to continue on with his involvement inthe space program.

"I'll keep doing this until I'm not having fun at it anymore. And when I'm not having fun, I'll go and find something else."

It is own philosophy, the way he lives his life, that he shares with the children he speaks to.

"Strive to be something you want to be. And have fun at. If you're not having fun at it, you're doing the wrong thing . . . Anything is possible. Just put forward your best effort."