Star Wars at NASA

One of my childhood dreams came to life recently at Space Center Houston. And the best part, my kids were able to share the experience with me. The Space Center held a Star Wars Fan Day complete with a "large presence" of Storm Troopers. I saw a full scale X-wing fighter and the lightsaber used in the movie by Luke Skywalker. It's actually considered a space artifact now!

"The Jedi lightsaber was carefully stowed aboard Discovery and flew into space with the seven STS-120 astronauts to the International Space Station before returning to Earth 14 days later."
"After travelling six million miles, the Jedi lightsaber was part of a new exhibit at Space Center Houston that showcased a small collection of famous Star Wars movie props and a full-size X-wing starfighter." (reprinted from Starwars.com-read more here)

I'm so glad we attended the event. It truly was a one-of-a-kind experience! I was not only star-struck, I was nostalgia-struck. I remember waiting in line for several hours outside the Alabama Theatre to watch Star Wars with my family. (The theatre is now a book store). After watching Star Wars, I left that theatre in awe. I felt that same awe as I stood on the floor of Space Center Houston surrounded by movie memorabilia and characters.

As for my kids, they hadn't really seen much of the Star Wars movies, but they still enjoyed seeing the starfighter and especially the many characters. Return of the Jedi aired on satellite the next day and both my kids were glued to the TV!

(Someone's video of the lightsaber-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkqC5ytb0ac)