The busyness of life
has swept me away, and just like that, our time in Columbus, Ohio has
concluded. We had anticipated staying longer, but my husband's career
has taken us elsewhere. I spent two and a half months in Columbus,
exploring central Ohio and enjoying the American Midwest.
Our first Ohio home
was a hotel in the Polaris area. North of the city, Polaris is named
after the North Star. I enjoyed the fun astronomy-themed names such
as Pulsar, Antares, Gemini, Orion, Sun Flare, Sirius, and Lyra. Well
done, city planners!
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| The corner of Polaris and Gemini |
I met a colleague
for lunch at the Ohio State University campus. Even newer to the city
than I was, John was just settling into his new role as a professor,
and not just any professor, the Armstrong Chair. I knew John in
Huntsville, Alabama years ago and loved catching up with him. Rarely
do I get a chance to chat about space policy and Chinese relations
over lunch. I wish that my time in Columbus hadn't been so short so I
could meet up with him again.
While on campus,
John showed me the little John Glenn collection in one of the nearby
OSU buildings: newspaper clippings, old photographs, childrens' space
drawings, a model of the Mercury capsule, and a Moon rock. I can't
help but geek out over space memorabilia.
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| John Glenn's Moon rock plaque at OSU |
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| Space stuff! at OSU |
And now I'm settling
into Atlanta, Georgia and once again house hunting. There is a larger
space community here, including university Georgia Institute of
Technology, Georgia State University, Emory University, Georgia
Aerospace, Space Works, and subsidiary companies Generation Orbit,
Blink Aero, and Terminal Velocity. Elsewhere in Georgia (around five
hours away!) is an effort to create a spaceport in Camden County.
I've been too busy
to meet anyone of the space community here yet. Atlanta traffic
dampens my motivation. For example, there's an astronomy talk at
Georgia State University on Wednesday evening, but with rush hour
traffic, it would take an hour to get there by train or over an hour
by car. Much closer to where we're currently living is a stargazing
event by the Atlanta Astronomy Club on Friday I plan to attend. I
also just joined the National Defense Industrial Association and the
Space Committee of the local chapter. I'm still looking for locals to
meet and things to get involved in!
