R.I.P. MID

[DONTEATUS]

I know we are better now,we all have come closer to this great man,He lead us to expand our minds,and souls to the stars. Mid will live on and Im sure that His Family and close friends will Know too that The soul of a person is always reaching to the Betterment of our kind. For sure Mike`s mission will go on forever. Just to think of the lifes that crossed his path ,and how much he helped us all to understand His world each year,For many years I may add.

I like many of us close and near,some only with a low earth orbit to Mid,will remember this man as he was,A Great Man.

I can almost see him at night walking the surface of the Moon with all His buddies that have gone before him.Not a moment will go by now without Looking up at night and giving that wink he so gracefully coined to give His Frien Neil Armstrong a few short weeks ago ! For them the best quote ever "God`s Speed Mike"

[Hazzard]

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Love it,... and, as an old aviator I cant help feeling a little bit part of it.

Edited January 19, 2013 by Hazzard

[DONTEATUS]

Its a 3/4 moon tonight in Big-D and Two winks for Mid & Neil Armstrong. I know your reading us ,Over !

[Mentalcase]

Damn, just seeing this thread.

RIP MID!!!!!!

[Bonecrusher]

I have spoken to MID's wife (via telephone) the funeral is tomorrow (Saturday). Perhaps we could all set aside a moment in our day to pay our final respect to our friend.

I did more than set aside a moment.

Not only didn't I post but I didn't log in as a mark of respect.

I was thinking about the big guy and his family all day long.

It felt like the right and proper thing to do in these circumstances.

[DONTEATUS]

Good on you Medium Brown, remember that Mike wants us to all keep our noses to the grinder and keep Looking ,Keep researching our worlds. He was and always be Our Friend.

[IamsSon]

I was very sorry to hear of MID's passing.

[+Paranoid Android]

I too was sorry to hear of MID's passing. I never really had a conversation with him, but whenever I wanted information (real information) about space I always stopped to read what MID had to say. RIP, and my heart and prayers are with his family, friends, and loved ones.

[Abramelin]

I can't remember having ever replied to his posts, but I have read much of what he posted, and always found his posts to be very informative.

I always sort of automatically skip past this forum on top of the index page of UM and go straight to the forums I usually post in, but this is the second old member of UM that passed away that I read of in 5 minutes time....sigh.

Rest in peace, MID.

[Lilly]

Not a day goes by that I don't miss MID and Karlis.

[DONTEATUS]

Not a day goes by that I don't miss MID and Karlis.

Me too Lilly ! I promise that as soon as Lori ,Mikes wife gets back with me I will post Hi Amazing Life for us all to revel in !

[psyche101]

Looking forward to it D, thanks again for keeping us all in the loop. You are a champion mate.

[bee]

.

farewell dear man

RIP and condolences to family and friends

.

[RaptorBites]

Just came back from a long extended break.

Sigh...Miss You MIDDY.

RIP

[MID]

Hello Everyone,

This is Mid's wife, Lori.

I've been reading your condolences and posts and I want to extend a warm thank you and let you know how much I truly appreciate them. I am extremely touched by every single post... the moments of silence, and the time you spent thnking of him on the Saturday of his memorial serivce. Bringing tears to my eyes were the pictures posted of the astronaut on the moon and the soldier saluting.

I know that Donteatus has mentioned putting together a biography of sorts but I'm not sure I want to divulge too much of Mid's personal details. He was always a Very private man in regard to his personl life. However, I will talk a bit here about the man I know, that is if you'll indulge me for a few minutes. It is my way of honoring this man, my husband, without telling too many of his secrets.

Mid's love for all things space related was extraordinary. He did in fact learn to fly, earning his pilot's license at the tender age of 17. He knew how to fly before he actually knew how to drive a car.. and probably like most married couples we would argue about who was the better driver. Of course we all know that was me ! But in the cockpit he had nerves of steel, the gentle touch of gold and wings of an eagle. He commented so many times how he felt much more at home up there flying among the clouds and blue sky than walking around down here on earth.

His fascination with space exploration started as a kid when he would listen to and follow all the details of our space flights ever so glued in front of the radio and/or TV and it certainly continued until the end. I would wake up at 2 a.m. to find my dedicated husband sitting in his office in front of the computer screen with live footage streaming through, pad, paper, pencil, calculater and ISS docking schedule in hand... making notes, making comments, making faces and loving every blessed minute of it. He was in heaven! Later he would give me all the details until my eyes would glaze over and then he would tell me more ! He, as you can imagine, has tons of DVD's on all the space flights and missions and original footage clips of almost everything. I have rarely in my 16 years with Mid seen him cry, but he did so at the passing of Neil Armstrong as well as watching the Challenger tragedy and other events of equal sadness to him. This held his heart, his passion and his soul.

To see him spend hours on this forum did not surprise me. The forum meant so very much to him. He dedicated alot of time, effort, research, energy and love to posting information that might indeed teach those willing to learn. Granted, there were some subjects he would comment on and on accasion sound a bit arrogant (to me, at least) but then when the story with SAL came to fruition I was so very pleased. His creativity and humor was now shining through. Mid put 110% into everything he did. He would learn about, study, contemplate and know more than most experts about those things that truly interested him.

Mid was a passionate man with creativiy, talent and heart. He was a martial arts expert having practised for 40 years, not simply for the physicality but more importantly the spiritual virtue of it. He was extremely disciplined. He had a leaning toward Eastern philosophy, owning many dog-eared copies of the Tao Te Ching. He was an experienced musician (drummer), an artist, a poet and an athlete.

In letting you all in to learn a little about Mid without compromising his privacy, I hope I've done a bit of service and tribute to him. This UM group meant alot to him and I think he would be pleased to see it continue in the same fashion. If he's inspired at least one person to learn, research and come to succinct, well thought out ideas and conclusions than he would be very happy indeed. It seems to me from reading some of your posts, perhaps that has been accomplished.

My best to everyone and thank you all again for your prayers, condolences and comments.

I will check Mid's private messages from time to time in case anyone has anything they would like to contact me about.

Wishing you all well on your own personal journeys,

Lori ~

[Big Bad Voodoo]

This UM group meant alot to him and I think he would be pleased to see it continue in the same fashion. If he's inspired at least one person to learn, research and come to succinct, well thought out ideas and conclusions than he would be very happy indeed. It seems to me from reading some of your posts, perhaps that has been accomplished.

Hi Lori!

Its hard to find smart words after such a emotinal post. Also Im not good at speeches and my English isnt first language so I will make it short. I picked up something (above) from your post.

MID meant to UM a lot. Atleast for me. I adored reading him. I still go back and read his posts. Be sure that he inspired me to dig further for truth.

He influence on me a lot. I remember when I admit my ignorance about astronomy in the thread of same name (here it is)

http://www.unexplain...howtopic=212997

he was there to teach me with such patience, passion and understanding. He wanted to spread knowledge and to teach. And he knew how to do it.

He will be remebered by me as my astronomy teacher for sure.

Thats all I wanted to tell you.

Please, forgive me because of my English.

L.

Edited February 4, 2013 by the L

[Waspie_Dwarf]

That MID was a private man was obvious to me very early on. He told me that he didn't like to look back in life but preferred to look forward.

He did tell me that he could fly before he could drive, but I would never have guessed about the martial arts.

A few years ago I would never have believed that the loss of a man that I never met and about whom I knew so little could leave a hole in my life, but it has.

I consider myself lucky that at 47 I have lost very few friends, but I include Mike amongst them. My life was enriched by the conversations we had, sitting an ocean away, watching a shuttle launch. I knew that we were holding our breath at the same time and that we were feeling the same sense of relief when the SRBs separated. We shared the same sense of elation when the crew reached orbit and when they returned home.

I will remember Mike every time I watch a launch. I remember him every time I make a post in the space section. I also wonder, "what would MID have thought".

I miss you my friend.

Lori, thank you for your post. I hope that you and your family are coping well.

Edited February 4, 2013 by Waspie_Dwarf

[ChrLzs]

Lori, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for that wonderful post. It is a fitting addition to this tribute to a wonderful man who has obviously changed many lives for the better just by his posts here, let alone his 'real' life.

As an aside, there are very few folks I respect more than Neil Armstrong - talented, unassuming, gentle but tough when necessary, straight talking, and someone who didn't let fame affect him. I too shed tears on his passing also. And I can't help but picture MID as Neil - in my mind he is very much like him.

Thank you Lori, and thank you MID.

[badeskov]

Dear Lori,

Please allow me as well to show my appreciation for your wonderful post. While it was clear to any regular here at UM that frequented the same parts of the forum as MID did how much he appreciated this forum, it was very heartwarming to hear it from you as well with the added nuances the rest of us could only get a remote feel for from behind our monitors and keyboards. To echo Chrlz, it is a fitting tribute to a man that touched many hearts and minds here at UM, which I am sure is dwarfed by what he accomplished throughout his full life.

MID's knowledge and experience was second to none and mixed with his charm and humor he had the perfect recipe for sharing his knowledge. And SAL was only one of his great moments, there are too many to list let alone begin to count. I obviously do not know how many of MID's posts you have read here at UM, but I am sure he has told you a lot from here and while I cannot even begin to pretend to know your loss, I would say that if you need a tear in your eye and a smile on your face at the same time, I would suggest to try and look up some of his posts here. This is one such post and from your description I can just imagine him with all his tools (pocket calculator, notepad, face deep in thought and subsequently laughing heartily) while composing it.

Rest in peace MID, I miss you my friend!

Yours truly,

Badeskov

[Trinitrotoluene]

The world has lost a truly great man. I had many, many conversations with MID on here both in the forums and privately. I don't think I have ever met a man as informed about the space program, physics and almost certainly the Apollo program. He had a desire to teach and would often take great lengths of time explaining things to those who would listen in such a way that I never saw him get angry or pushy - not even once.

He was influential and helped massively with my astrophysics degree work, and inspired me to push forward in achieving it. I will miss him

Edited February 5, 2013 by Trinitrotoluene

[Hazzard]

Its really amazing when you think about it.

Here I am in the northern parts of Sweden, talking about astronomy and spaceflight with my two kids (boys 7 and 5),... much of it comes directly from what MID taught me over the years. They love it, cant get enough of it. They come home from school with books about the solar system, exploration of the planets, and a ton of questions.

So I would say that absolutely MID was an inspiration to those who had the privilege,... more than he possibly could have known.

For me, the moon is and will always be a reminder of the great men and women that makes the impossible seem possible. Your MID is one of them.

Thank you so much for posting, Lori.

[JesseCuster]

RIP.

In my time here, I saw him was a great source of sanity, reason and deep knowledge amongst the insanity that passes for some of the NASA conspiracy threads here.

[Hugh]

I keep thinking about MID...

I've gone over our last messages to each other many times, and feel a loss he is not there.

I don't think he'd mind if I shared our last conversation in November 2011.

__________

How are you my friend?

I'm curious if you've seen my thread about the "One small step (longer pause)" quote in the Space section of the forum.

What's your recollection of that if I may ask?

Thanks!

Hugh

__________

Hi Hugh!

You know, it's funny, but some things , simply by suggestion, replay in one's head. One of the greatest days of my life, and I can hear the exact cadence, and the COMM static in my head! I can even feel the heat of a hot summer day, and the sweat on my brow.

As to the gap you speak of...it was there Hugh, but it wasn't as long as 10 seconds. I recalled 3 seconds at most, but I have an original recording...

3.2 seconds

__________

Thanks for the reply MID!

It must have been incredible to have been a part of that whole experience, and to have all the hard work that everyone did pay off with such a success!

Take care my friend, and thanks again.

Hugh

__________

You're welcome, Hugh!

__________

__________

There he was, always ready and happy to help, with the correct facts in hand and a smile.

I now treasure my original recording I have, of him.

Rest in peace my friend.

[Lilly]

"Late last night I heard the screen door slam.

A big yellow taxi came and took away my old man.

Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone..."

My apologies to Joni Mitchell...but this is kind of how I feel.

[Indiogene]

May you be in a better place, MID. I remember some of your posts on a number of topics I skimmed through...and may your posts on UM be there forever. It's saddening to lose another member of the UM forum not long after Karlis passed on. Reminders for us to live our lifes to the fullest.