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LETTER INTO THE SPACE
Letter of the President Milan Kucan to Dr. Ronald Sega
NASA JOHNSON SPACE CENTER
Ljubljana, 20 March 1996
Ronald Sega is an American astronaut, whose forebears on his father's side came from Loški potok in Slovenia. Dr Sega completed his Ph.D. at the USA Air Force Academy by researching infra-red detection of electromagnetic fields. Later he joined the research team at an institute for vacuum technology. He worked on the laser ablation of thin superconductive films. At the University of Houston he encountered space research and came into contact with a group of scientists working on the Wake Shield Facility project. This was one of the experiments which the STS-60 astronauts performed during their flight in February 1994. In this way Dr Sega also had an opportunity to put it into practice in space. It was Dr Sega's first space flight. For his work Dr Sega received a number of awards and commendations. He visited Slovenia in November 1994.
My Dear Friend Dr. Sega,
On behalf of a great many Slovene people, and on my own personal behalf, I should like to convey to you our very best wishes on your flight to the Mir orbital space station. We wish you every success in your flight on the space shuttle Atlantis and in the mission awaiting your crew in space. I can assure you that in Slovenia we will be filled with kind thoughts as we follow your progress in Atlantis and its docking with Mir. Our thoughts will be of you - especially since we were able to become better acquainted with you on your recent visit to the homeland of your forebears - of scientific progress and its successes, of the cooperation and friendship that your mission symbolizes, and also of the importance of peace and cooperation, which is always given fresh impetus by the view of planet Earth from space.
I should also like to take this opportunity to thank you for the kind invitation to attend personally the launch of Atlantis in Houston. Sadly my prior obligations will not permit me to take up this invitation, so the launch will be attended by the Slovene ambassador to the USA, Dr. Ernest Petric, who will act as my personal envoy and who will take great pleasure 1n reporting to me on the success of your project.
Once again may I wish the entire crew a successful flight and a happy landing,
Milan Kucan
Ljubljana, 20 March 1996
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