[sarex] NFL's Tagliabue Chats With Station Crew

[Arthur Z Rowe <n1orc@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Submitted by Arthur - N1ORC

NFL's Tagliabue Chats With Station Crew
 01.27.04 



NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue chatted about life in space, the view 
from orbit and -- of course -- football during a telephone call to the 
International Space Station today.

Tagliabue is in Houston for this weekend's Super Bowl, where a pre-game 
tribute will honor the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia on the one 
year anniversary of its loss.

Tagliabue dropped by Johnson Space Center to make the extreme 
long-distance call, shaking hands and signing footballs for NASA 
employees in Mission Control.

During the brief call, Tagliabue thanked Expedition 8 Commander Mike 
Foale for inspiring young people, and said the NFL would use its 
experience with NASA to do the same.

"Millions of young Americans have better things to do than playing 
football, and the two of you are doing some of those things" 
--NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue to ISS crew
"Millions of young Americans have better things to do than playing 
football, and the two of you are doing some of those things," Tagliabue 
said, referring to Foale and his crewmate Alexander Kaleri.

Foale described the crew's unique view for Tagliabue, pointing out that 
they had clear views of Mt. Everest in the Himalayas as well as Africa's 
Mt. Kilimanjaro earlier in the day. Tagliabue's wife, Chandler, talked 
with Foale about the crew's ability to follow weather patterns from the 
Station.

When Tagliabue asked the crew if they were "tethered," Kaleri and Foale 
both did flips to demonstrate that they weren't, before Foale explained 
how the crew used foot loops to stay in place.



Floating a toy football toward the camera, Foale called the Super Bowl a 
"very American phenomenon," and said it was probably the "grandest and 
greatest sports event on the planet."

And, Foale said, they'll look forward to following the game from above.


 


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