LINDA GODWIN BRINGS SHUTTLE MISSION HOME

Linda Godwin is a member of an elite and revered group. America has only about 90 astronauts. The numbers command stiff competition.

Godwin has excelled with a "small town" background. Her achievements speak well for the region and the state. She is a native of Oak Ridge: Population 202 in the 1990 census. She was graduated from Jackson High School, and Southeast Missouri State University. She earned her doctorate in physics at University of Missouri-Columbia.

We can all be proud of Godwin and her role on the Atlantis. She will play an integral role in deploying the 17-ton space telescope, which is about the size of a bus. She will maneuver the $617 million Gamma Ray Observatory out of the shuttle with a robot arm. It's the largest payload the shuttle has ever attempted to carry. This telescope will help unlock "mysteries" of the universe such as black holes, neutron stars and energetic quasars.

Scientists expect data from the observatory will rewrite some of the textbooks. Once the telescope is launched, Godwin will also use the robot arm to assist two fellow crew members' walk in space. The spacewalk itself is also noteworthy, as it's the first one attempted since before the Challenger disaster five years ago.

The wait has been a long one for Godwin. The Challenger tragedy and numerous technical problems since that time have pushed her departure back numerous times. But she is anxious to stride bravely into the future.

Today, the crew was scheduled to don their spacesuits and board the Atlantis for a final dress rehearsal. If all goes well and the weather cooperates, the shuttle will blast off at 8:18 a.m. Friday.

Through Godwin, this shuttle flight will take on a special meaning for all of us. A local "crew" of more than 50 people friends, family and former teachers will watch the launch first-hand, including her parents James and Maxine Godwin of Oak Ridge.

Since the announcement of her impending space flight in April of 1989, Godwin has not forgotten her roots. She has returned to keynote several local programs and parades. Godwin has served as an inspiration to a whole new generation of explorers and dreamers.

Linda Godwin realized big dreams from her small town start. Godwin proves to all of us that such lofty goals are within reach, if you're willing to work long enough and hard enough to achieve them.