Ohio astronauts party tonight for NASA's 50th anniversary

CLEVELAND -- For five decades we have been watching in awe as the magnificent birds head for space from a launch pad in Florida. On many of those missions, an Ohio astronaut has been on board.

The most celebrated was the STS-70 "All Ohio" mission in 1995. Terence "Tom" Henricks was the Commander with Kevin Kregel the co-pilot. The flight included Mission Specialists, Nancy Currie, Donald Thomas, and Mary Ellen Weber.

Today, almost all the Buckeye astronauts are in downtown Cleveland to celebrate NASA's 50th anniversary and all those incredible voyages.

Each astronaut has a favorite story. Cleveland native Carl Walz recalls a shuttle mission when he was doing a space walk.

"And we stopped in the middle of the space walk to do a telephone conversation with John Glenn," said Walz.

Walz said with a smile, "it was really cool to be outside of the space station working and to have a chance to talk with John Glenn. Plus, we had the chance to reflect on his accomplishments and how the early pioneers had lead to where we were in space."

Commander Tom Henricks held up the STS-70 patch and pointed out the prominent Ohio State University "O" on the patch.

"NASA did not catch it," laughed Henricks, "and so we flew with the Ohio State 'O' on our suits for the entire mission."

Nancy Currie flew on four shuttle missions. She still has the special Ohio State banner that she brought on her first space flight.

"I am a tried and true Buckeye," declared Currie. "I'm a product of the public school education in Ohio and I'm extremely proud of that."

Down at the Cleveland Air Show, if you ask any pilot about NASA astronauts and they quickly tell you how much they appreciate that 50-year record of amazing achievements.

Navy pilot, Commander David Stamm, said, "I know a lot of guys who aspire to be astronauts and it takes a lot more than just going out and flying airplanes these days. It takes a lot of school and a lot of extra degrees. NASA is getting the best of the best."

If you walk down the exhibit row at the air show, it's impossible to miss the 36-foot Apollo model rocket standing near the runway.

Designed as a tribute to the 40th anniversary of the moon shot, amateur rocketeers are preparing to launch the largest model rocket on the planet.

Steve Eves built the rocket near Akron.

"Just think that we now have men on the space station and they are making way for the next step and the next step," Eves said. "Where does it end? I am proud to help show off just a small piece of that amazing progression with this rocket."

They say once you've had an out of this world astronaut experience, you always want to go back. NASA veteran Nancy Currie agrees.

Channel 3's Mike O'Mara asked Currie, "If NASA said 'We need you,' would you go?

Her response took less than a second. "In a heart beat," said Currie. "In a heart beat."

50 years of innovation, inspiration and discovery are just beginning of the voyage.