Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida held a NASA Space Day celebration on September 10, 2007 in honor of the seven astronauts who flew aboard space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-118 mission. Outside the Mission: SPACE attraction at Disney’s Epcot theme park, a glass plaque bearing the words of astronaut Barbara R. Morgan was unveiled as a crowd looked on. The smoke and confetti cleared to reveal the simple yet inspiring, “Reach for your dreams… the sky is no limit.”

Throughout the day, students and theme park visitors gathered to listen to Commander Scott Kelly, Pilot Charlie Hobaugh, Mission Specialists Tracy Caldwell, Rick Mastracchio, Barbara R. Morgan, Alvin Drew and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Dave Williams as they answered questions and shared their experiences.

Local fourth and fifth graders attended a special education session alongside students from Oak Ridge High School Aviation and Aerospace Academy Magnet Program, and Osceola High School Aviation Academy. When asked what was the most difficult and challenging obstacle the astronauts encountered, Mastracchio answered, “I kept putting in astronaut application after astronaut application, and eventually got selected as an astronaut and got to fly in space two times.” He went on to give some advice, saying, “So even though you meet obstacles, there are always ways around those obstacles to achieve your goals and make your dreams come true.”

Towards the end of the day, the Endeavour crew members served as honorary grand marshals at the Magic Kingdom’s afternoon parade. Despite the drizzle, families gathered along Main Street to watch and applaud the astronauts.

To learn more about the STS-118 mission, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts118/main/index.html.