While most reporters were making filing stories from the press area, the seven astronauts made a quick visit to the shuttle and greeted dozens of flabbergasted tourists who came expecting to see only the shuttle. The visitors couldn t get too close, however. The astronauts have been under strict quarantine for a week now to protect them from any potentially nasty viruses or illnesses and that meant the tourists and crew had to stand on opposite sides of a dirt road. The surprises continued, when the astronauts climbed into four convertables and drove back to their quarters to continue their countdown preparations. This is the first time any of the regular reporters could remember seeing the astronauts riding around with such obvious visibility.
Tourists have their own way of saying hello.
Even though shuttle launches are a pretty common occurance these days, the local residents are particularly excited about this mission. For weeks, Florida has known that U.S. President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary will be in town for the launch. So will Jane Fonda. So will Tom Hanks. Nearly every major star from the film Armagedon is rumoured to be here as well.