Vining excited about its astronaut
Published Saturday, May 31, 2008
It would be a difficult task to locate a resident of Vining who wasn’t interested in the launch of NASA’s STS 124. That’s because one of their very own will be onboard the spacecraft.
Karen Nyberg, originally from Vining, is one of seven astronauts — and the only female — boarding the shuttle Discovery for the mission.
A picture of Nyberg and a sign explaining the details of the launch hangs next to the town’s post office service counter. Judy Hendershot, who works at the post office with Karen’s mother, Phyllis, said that nearly everyone that stops in asks about Nyberg and the space mission. So many that they decided to put the information on the wall.
“The whole town is all a-buzz about this,” she said. “They’re really proud of Karen.”
The Big Foot convenience store is somewhat of a local hangout for residents. Manager Glen McDowell said it has been a hot topic among patrons lately.
“They all know about it, that’s for sure,” said Carl Zackmann, who frequents the shop.
His buddy, Bob Miles, said they’re all delighted with the news, but can’t imagine how Nyberg herself is feeling.
“I’m probably not as excited as she is,” he said.
Big Foot has a tribute to Nyberg displayed in the store complete with photos, biographies and other information supplied to them through the NASA center. McDowell said travelers passing through the town are taken back by the exhibit, and are usually surprised to hear why the small town convenience store has such a fascination with space.
“You’ve got a lot of the tourists asking about it,” he said. “It’s real cool for a small town to have somebody like that.”
A statue of an astronaut dedicated to Nyberg was created by her father, Ken, in 2000, as part of his city-wide sculpture collection. A sign next to the astronaut reads, “Vining Honors Karen Nyberg NASA Astronaut.”
Nyberg’s glory days will not conclude with this weekend’s launch. She still has a bright future ahead of her. That means it won’t be the last time residents of Vining are given the opportunity to exercise some hometown pride and support Nyberg, who they think of as their small town hero.
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