He then became one of the leading candidates to be the “first civilian in space”. John was planning on writing a song while up in space, but circumstances kept him from joining that ill-fated expedition which saddened the world when it exploded during take-off in 1986. One of the thrills of his involvement with NASA was getting to fly and land the Space Shuttle simulator. Because of his steadfast support, NASA awarded John its public service medal for helping "increase awareness of space exploration by the people of the world." John was also honored to be the Master of Ceremonies at the Goddard Dinner in Washington D.C, a yearly black tie event that honors aerospace luminaries which is attended by aerospace executives, government officials and space educators, to honor the previous years achievements in space. cont....