Nebraskans proud of one of their own

We hate to admit it, but most people who drive through Nebraska aren't all that impressed.

That's partly because of the route planners chose for Interstate 80 back in the 1950s, much of it a few miles from the closest towns and the old Lincoln Highway it replaced. They were thinking more about speed and convenience than allowing travelers to get a taste of the local flavor.

Once in a while, however, Nebraska's true character slips through.

Leaving Omaha, drivers may be surprised to encounter a vintage F-105 fighter jet, frozen in time as a "Thud" on a Vietnam mission, mounted on a pillar a few yards off the highway.

The plane is there to lure drivers off the highway and into the Strategic Air and Space Museum in Ashland, with its unique display of military might.

Ashland is proud of the museum, Henry Doorly Zoo's Wildlife Safari Park across the Interstate and, we are sure, many other attractions, but we doubt if anyone's thinking much about them right now.

That's because all eyes are on the sky, where hometown boy Clayton C. Anderson is settling in for a long stay on the International Space Station.

We're partial to Anderson, not just because he's a fellow Nebraskan, but because he once spoke at a Nebraska Press Association meeting, the first astronaut many of us met.

A glance at Anderson's resume shows just what a long, difficult process it is to become a modern astronaut.

Born in 1959, he graduated from high school 30 years ago, and has been working to get into space ever since.

He's remembered as a kind, polite but determined student. That led him to a bachelor of science (cum laude) in physics from Hastings College and a master's degree in aerospace engineering from Iowa State University.

Clayton's been at NASA since 1983, and helped see to it that the Galileo and Magellan planetary missions and early space shuttle flights, arrived at the right places at the right times.

He's been directly preparing for flight since August 1998, serving as capsule communicator and backup flight engineer for earlier flights.

An Omaha World-Herald profile of Anderson pointed out that he often came in slightly lower than first place, whether in a celebration parade or in class ranking.

But like so many Nebraskans, whether farmers or football players, he enhanced his talents with hard work, discipline and long-term determination to achieve his goal.

We'll be pulling for our homestate spaceman for the four months of his flight, and he'll be part of Nebraska's proud heritage from here on out.