eBay

JPL ROCKET SCHOOL

MOON-DO NOT EAT! EXHAUST-DANGER! HOT!!!

PURCHASED BRAND NEW FROM THE JPL CAMPUS EMPLOYEE'S GIFT SHOP IN PASADENA, MAY 1998

Size XL 90% PRESHRUNK COTTON / 10% POLY

Single Stitch (Sleeves)

Double Stitch (Neckline, Shoulders, Sleeve Cuffs, Hemline)

23 1/2" across (pit to pit) X 27" long/tall (mid-shoulder to bottom of the hemline)

THE STORY OF THIS SHIRT:

Over the years, as the Directors of ASTRONOMY TO GO, my wife and I have logged around a million miles (AND COUNTING!) in our different vehicles (usually overloaded and/or towing a trailer), driving back, forth, and just about everywhere in between, as we crisscrossed the country, whether attending a variety of conferences and gatherings of Science Teachers or Astronomers, both Amateur and Professional, or presenting various educational and public outreach programs. We have met and befriended countless amazing individuals, from all walks of life, in just about every career possible, but have been most pleasantly surprised by the number of Astronomers who firmly identify as members of the Amateur/hobbyist community, even as they work within all levels of the Professional community, and as such, we felt welcomed, accepted, and at home, viewed as Outreach Ambassadors, within both groups. We would often plan "detours" to visit observatories, research centers, NASA sites, and anywhere ASTRONOMY-related that might have a colleague who had invited us to "stop by" on our travels, and meeting up with one friend, usually lead to being introduced to more! Networking at its most organic, and we got to know all sorts of folks, from the "Minions" to the "Rock Stars" of the scientific Universe! Along the way, my wife began collecting post cards, documenting our travels. They all fit in a small box. I collected t-shirts, which quickly filled up several full-size dressers before taking over entire closets, and then, much of our bedroom!

What began as our first "date" resulted in the next 20+ Memorial Day weekends, driving from Philly to Big Bear, CA, for the annual RTMC gathering, where we met a new friend who worked at JPL, who introduced us to many more of his colleagues. Describing JPL (NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, managed by Caltech) as "The greatest playground for PhD's," he would meet us in the Visitor's Center, usher us through Security, and then out into the general campus, away from the tourist zone, where we got incredible insider's tours, introducing us to even more folks, and usually making a stop at the Employee's Gift Shop, where one could purchase all sorts of mission-specific items that most outsiders would never know about or have access to. IT'S ALL ABOUT WHO YOU KNOW! After repeated visits, we got to meet more new friends, some of whom were actually "hands-on", responsible for assembling upcoming mission spacecraft, all the way up to those who were in charge and responsible for the actual mission. Anytime I saw a shirt for a mission which someone I knew (at ANY level) was involved with, I bought it and added it to my collection. The problem is, I rarely wanted to wear those shirts for fear of damaging them, and I ended up with a LOT of very rare mission shirts that were barely worn...or NOT AT ALL. THIS IS NOT ONE OF THOSE!

Our friend was too busy with his work for the GALILEO MISSION, so he couldn't spend more than a few minutes hanging out with us when we stopped at JPL for a visit in late May of 1998. He had introduced us to his best friend on a previous visit, who was only too happy to spend more time with us, so we were "handed off" to our new friend as he took us on HIS version of an insider's tour. THAT turned out to be a wild ride!!! Remember my earlier comment about "playground for PhD's"? If you had thoughts of smug, pompous, buttoned-down, suit and tie professionals, those may exist SOMEWHERE, but these were NOT the folks that we ever met or became friends with. Think more along the lines of the class clown being the smartest kid in ANY room, with a mind that is ALWAYS on overdrive, thinking genius, as well as subversive thoughts, and taking over, whether the teacher is still there or not! THESE PEOPLE ARE AWESOME, and as a former class clown, myself, I realized I was an amateur, in the company of GREATNESS. Insider, science-fiction, as well as practical jokes, were written into the very DNA of most (if not ALL!) coding that is essential to the success of these missions, whether in "Status" update replies or as a form of "Copy" or "Roger" reply that a message was being received. Sometimes it was a private joke, known to only a handful, while at other times, almost everyone but the "Top Level" of "Mission Management" was aware, and often, it came at their expense, but was so carefully hidden that no one would ever know or suspect. I can only hope that someone will write that book of pranks someday, but their stories are not mine to tell. There are other signs of this in the actual labs and facilities, but unless they are pointed out to the unsuspecting, you would never know. Somehow, our new friend seemed to know a LOT of instances and examples all over the campus and from MANY missions, and as we got to know him even better on this visit, we could easily see why! For any idea that you might have, his quick wit and incredibly sharp mind could instantly help to improve any wicked idea, not to compete but for the betterment of all! Most of us would be jealous of this kind of person, but he was the kind that everyone loved, so we had a day to remember, as each stop on our visit revealed new and better pranks, along with a look at the magic that made the science happen!

We were all in this frame of mind when we finally stumbled into the employee gift shop later in the day, exhausted from the walking as well as spending so much time laughing, and saw this "NEW" design hanging on the wall. I found it hysterical and grabbed one (THIS ONE!) immediately. Our friend bought multiples! I sure he had more than a few devious ideas for his. I hadn't intended for mine to put to such use, but when "certain" missions failed for certifiable "Ummm...WHOOPS!!!" reasons, I had the perfect shirt to wear for my lectures, highlighting what went wrong! In spite of many return visits, I never saw this shirt available again. I DEFINATELY would have bought more, in which case, I could have worn one of them a LOT more often without needing to be so careful about trying to preserve my only one, but without back-up, I was very careful with this one.

Upon my return home, I attempted to track down and reach out to the copyright holder of this design, Lion Marketing, in the hopes of adding this design to our line. I thought that I had found the right company, and so I left repeated messages, trying to make contact, yet I never received any sort of reply or even acknowledgement that they had received my messages, so eventually, I gave up. I have no further info about the owner/printer of this design, other than it has held up VERY well over the years, both as a quality printing job as well as a quality source of humor!

I am offering this VERY RARE shirt for $99.95, which includes free shipping to anywhere in the U.S. You can combine this with other items that I am selling to receive a refund for each additional item, after the first, once shipped. This refund reflects my savings in postage fees by combining your orders, and is based on the total mailing weight of the items. International buyers are eligible for the multi-item discount (WHEN YOU USE THE SHOPPING CART FEATURE AND PAY FOR ALL OF YOUR ITEMS IN A SINGLE PAYMENT!) and receive free shipping to ebay's Global Shipping Program Center, but are responsible for all additional fees for postage, customs, tariffs, and/or other import charges. Any questions? Contact me.