I got so freaked out by turbulence that I used to resort to vicodin before plane flights. Now I get mellow with Xanax, depending on the pre-flight weather reports.
So I can’t imagine how drunk I’d have to be to fire up a space shuttle.
Between this story and the Lisa Nowak craziness, I think we really need to see the NASA equivalent of Footballers’ Wives on TV.
I tried out the shuttle simulator when I was at the space center in Houston but I kept crashing the damn thing for the landing (and I remember those kids behind me laughing). Stupid me – only now do I realize that the secret is to drink several bottles of Jack Daniels before trying – duh!