Orbiting Astronaut Hears Daughter's Birth

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space station astronaut Mike Fincke was listening in from orbit when he got the good news: It's a girl.

His wife Renita Fincke gave birth to their second child at a Houston-area hospital Friday -- just two days before Father's Day. The astronaut was connected via a NASA-arranged radio hookup to his wife's cell phone in the delivery room, a family friend said.

NASA officials said it was the first time to their knowledge that a U.S. astronaut was in space during the birth of his child.

The couple named the girl Tarali Paulina. Fincke proudly informed Mission Control that Tara -- the first two syllables of the name -- means "star" in the Indian dialect of his wife's family. Their son, who is not quite 3, is named Chandra, which means "moon."

"My wife had already given me the moon, now she's given me a star," he said.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-space-station-birth,0,3237084.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

n/t

I'm sorry, but what does Bush have to do with this?

She must have been really loud.

conceived while in orbit, IMO. :bounce:

(sorry...I just couldn't help it! :evilgrin:)

he should be on earth to help his wife and welcome his daughter!

I guess we know where his priorities are. And let me guess, a good pro-Bush "pro family" republican :eyes:

"Fincke wasn't supposed to fly to the space station until months from now, but his mission with Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka was bumped up because of last-minute crew swaps. The two men rocketed away from Kazakhstan in April; they will return to Earth in October."

It would be a disappointment but I wouldn't want someone I loved to miss that opportunity either. Tough decision, but I don't fault them.