I managed to fulfil one of my ambitions this week by getting to meet a real life astronaut. The crew of the space shuttle Atlantis visited the House of Commons after completing a tour of UK schools where they have been speaking to try to encourage kids to take an interest in maths and science.
The presence of a space shuttle crew on the terrace caused quite a stir, especially as they were in their blue NASA suits. I spent some time chatting with astronaut Garrett Reisman who when questioned as to what they were doing on the terrace, told more than one person they had been drafted in to fix the roof.
It was fascinating to speak with Garrett who hails from New Jersey where I worked for a year. There were plenty of kids about who were awestruck by their presence, as was I.
It was great to see them and I've taken a photo to send to my kids at school as we were studying space as a theme earlier this year!