Oct 10, 2017
By Agustin Baldioli, Visitor Services Coordinator
One of the many reasons I love working at the National Air and Space Museum is that you never know who you will meet. That's what happened to me one day in May when my colleagues asked me if I wanted to interview NASA astronaut Danny Olivas in Spanish for the What's New in Aerospace? series. In my time in the Museum, I have had the privilege of meeting more than 15 astronauts, but I never had to do anything for such a huge audience as the whole internet. I had never interviewed anyone. In addition, this would be the first time that the Museum would produce an interview in Spanish and the video would be available online for all Spanish speakers.
"Of course I would, I'd love to interview him! It would be an honor," was my response.
I loved being able to talk to Danny in our native language and to get to know him a little better. Danny is a son of Hispanic parents and was raised in El Paso, Texas. I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Listening to Danny talk about his achievements and experiences in Spanish was a great pleasure and an unforgettable experience.
Today, after watching the video, I realized how nervous I was! I am the first to admit that I need to practice my Spanish much more, and I apologize for the diction with some words because of my nerves.
What I will never forget about interviewing Danny was his answer to my question: "What is your favorite place on the International Space Station?" I thought he was going to say the cupola, the station's module with seven windows designed to observe the Earth. I thought that the opportunity to see our planet from space, at a distance of about 200 miles (320 kilometers) has to be the best part of being an astronaut. But no. For Danny, his favorite place on the International Space Station is the kitchen. For him, his favorite thing was to spend time with his fellow astronauts, his friends. That amazed me. I never imagined that something so ordinary, so typical, was the best thing about being in space for one astronaut.
However, Danny admits that the food on the International Space Station is not very tasty. That’s a shame.
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We rely on the generous support of donors, sponsors, members, and other benefactors to share the history and impact of aviation and spaceflight, educate the public, and inspire future generations. With your help, we can continue to preserve and safeguard the world’s most comprehensive collection of artifacts representing the great achievements of flight and space exploration.