Local shtutile latmch witnesses left in awe By FANNIE SUNSMINE The Champion Eleanor and Roger Hadfield wished their son good Iuck before he boarded the shuttie Endeavour Iast week. "Chris was very calm and cool looking but we knew he was excited," Ms Hadtield said. The shuttie took off fromt the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, Florida Apnil 19 and landed minutes liter at the International Space Station. Col. Hadfield performed two seven-hour space walks Sunday and Tuesday, making him the first Canadian in history to walk in space. 'Me Hadfields, who retumed home from Florida Saturday, sat with other family members in the family viewing section of the centre to watch the launch. "I wasn't nervous," Ms Hadfteld said. "tt was go, go go. 'he launch is so hard to describe - it was ao exciting to, watch." Mr. Hadfîeld uaid a lot of people were waving Canadian flags. "It's a big step for Canada," he said. referring te, the installation of the Canadian-made robotic arm, Canadarmn2. Frank Phillips, a detective with Halton Regional Police and a Milton Air Cadet officer, went down for the launch with three other cadet leaders. "When the countdown started, that's when 1 really teIt the excitement," he satd. He tollowed the shuttle alter the launch until it disappeared into orbit. "Everyone was clapping and cheering and yelling 'go Chris go,"' he said. "At that moment 1 felt pretty proud to be Canadian." A group of Milton District High School students also attended the launch. "Ive always wanted to see a launch up close," said grade 12 student Jeff Vandevalk. I thought it was neat to see the shuttie take off and 10 seconds later hear the thundering sound it made." Col. Hadfteld will mout likely work as the director of operations for NASA at Russia's space centre in the fall Have a good story idea? Cai us and tell us about it at 878- 2341, ext. 234