Keith's note: My friends got a little carried away with this whole April Fool's day thing. Then again, NASA Watch first went on line on April 1, 1996, so I guess I should have expected this to all go full circle some day. From what I understand there are people willing to pay big bucks to have the honor of pushing me out of an airplane somewhere over Texas -- whenever I manage to take off from that landing strip in Friendswood and jump, that is. Now I guess I have no choice but to jump since my cheap cardboard Avatar has already taken the plunge - otherwise Gwen Griffin gets to collect that cash prize by pushing my avatar out of the plane.

From what I can tell from this video, my Avatar landed in Leroy Chiao's back yard (sorry). I suppose I will have to actually re-enact this flight for real - while wearing a Keith mask - and that they will get Miles O'Brien to fly the plane (and dip it sideways so that I fall out).

Oh well, this is not the first time my Avatar has done strange things: my old NASA badge went to the summit of Mt. Everest with a picture of Gorbie the space dog (photo - that's "Doogie" Parazynski holding our pictures). Gorbie's parents live next to the hangar my Avatar drove into in the video. Maybe Gorbie will jump with me. At least dogs like me.

I am supposed to take NASTAR suborbital training in a few weeks and I am now scared of what I will find waiting for me inside the centrifuge. Durda, Stern, Conrad, and Throop are relentless. No doubt Parazynski will find some yak by-products to adorn my flight suit. I have certainly asked for it.

Visit more fun and abuse totally at my expense at KeithWatch.com.