Why was the tradition of playing a card game with the mission controller before a shuttle blast off started?
Posted by gitterdun in Card GamesAug 18th, 2009 | 2 responsesYou are currently browsing comments. If you would like to return to the full story, you can read the full entry here: “Why was the tradition of playing a card game with the mission controller before a shuttle blast off started?”.
2 Responses to “Why was the tradition of playing a card game with the mission controller before a shuttle blast off started?”
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yes it has to do with leaving bad luck behind. i think it once started while crews waited for boarding to get their thoughts off from what’s ahead, and for some reason someone figured every time the crew lost its last game it went somehow wrong.
This might became a kind of tradition.
interestingly before columbias last flight with STS-107 this card game has been filmed and made public.
breaking a tradition ?
i’m really not into such esoteric stuff, but when i tried finding something i stepped on this… strange, huh ?
I once met Lacey Veach (retired astronaut) after a speech he gave at Valdosta State University. During the conversation, I asked him a similar question and he laughed commenting that the game was indeed played, and it continued until the mission controller won a hand. Anecdotally, he told me that the little known truth was that there was always a side bet to the game and the only way that the mission controller would get his money was to get them back safely.
I don’t know if this is true or he was pulling my leg, but it’s fun to believe it.