Shuttle Commander Has Disciple Roots
The commander of the current space shuttle, Scott Altman, was a parishioner at Pekin Christian Church, Rev. Bob Brite’s former church.
Navy Commander (ret.) Scott Altman, commander of space shuttle mission STS-125 to repair the Hubble orbiting telescope, grew up as a member of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Pekin, Illinois.
This is Altman’s 4th space shuttle mission and his second as commander of a Hubble repair mission, the last in 2002. The mission is considering more dangerous than the norm because the higher orbit of the telescope (350 miles above the earth) is more subject to damage from space debris.
Altman graduated from Pekin Community High School and attended the University of Illinois. He then was accepted by the U.S. Navy as a pilot. He was one of four stunt pilots in the Tom Cruise movie “Top Gun,” and was featured in scenes where he buzzed the tower and had an exchange with a Soviet pilot in the air.
Scott has returned to the Pekin church numerous times to visit his parents, Fred and Sharon Altman; Sharon is the church organist and Fred was long-time church treasurer. He shared his experiences of growing up in the church and making it as an astronaut from the pulpit following his first shuttle mission.
