Franklin Square astronaut comes home

Franklin Square native and Astronaut Mike Massimino, one of a crew of specialists who were launched into space last year to repair the Hubble Space Observatory, stepped into his former school on Jan. 29 to give kids an up-close look at outer space.

Massimino, who graduated from John Street School in 1974, has been a favorite son of Franklin Square ever since he began astronaut training with NASA in 1996.

Massimino talked to students about his mission — during which he participated in two spacewalks — and the importance of working hard to follow their dreams. He talked frequently about deciding at the age of 6 that he wanted to be an astronaut more than anything.

“If there’s something you really want to do, I would sugggest that even if it’s hard, or a lot of going to school, don’t worry about any of that,” Massimino said. “Just do it and do your best, and keep trying really hard to do what you want to do with your life. .. Do what you really love.”

It was a message echoed by school leaders.

“Whatever they’re passionate about, whatever they dream of, can become a reality, and he epitomizes that,” said John Street School Principal Ceil Candreva said. “That’s a thrill for us, he really is a hero.”

Candreva was thrilled to have Massimino walking the halls of his alma mater again. She said it was a wonderful learning experience and something students — and faculty — could hold onto.

“It’s really a feeling of pride, it’s an overwhelming feeing of pride,” she added. “He walked these halls, he stood in this auditorium, this is where he had gym class. The kids are really fascinated by that — as are the adults. His roots are here.”

Candreva said that the students’ interaction with Massimino didn’t begin with Friday’s assembly. Thanks to technology — including the use of Twitter and e-mail, and live video feeds from the space shuttle — students were able to follow in real-time with Massimino’s mission to repair the Hubble last summer.

She said that in many classrooms, teachers would pull up NASA’s web site on their smartboards in class to tune in to the live feed pulled from a camera positioned directly on Massimino’s helmet.