Md. Astronaut Speaks With WJZ From Space!
BALTIMORE/OUTER SPACE (WJZ) -- Maryland's own astronaut Reid Wiseman has become a social media sensation in space. WJZ has been following him for months now as he shares details and photographs of his life aboard the International Space Station.
Mary Bubala got the interview of a lifetime, speaking with Wiseman in outer space.
"A big hello to everyone in Maryland from the International Space Station!" he said.
It was a rare and amazing chance to connect with astronaut Reid Wiseman, who grew up in Baltimore County. He's on the International Space Station and our conversation was out of this world.
The world watched as Baltimore County native Wiseman blasted into space a little more than seven weeks ago and now we finally get to speak with him.
"It's a huge honor to be up here and to talk to WJZ today," he said.
Wiseman spoke to us from more than 200 miles above Earth on the International Space Station.
"You just take one look out at Earth; you don't need to pinch yourself," he said. "It's so phenomenal. It's so overwhelming to look down at our planet from up here."
Wiseman often looks down on his hometown. Recently, he Tweeted, "We just flew directly over Baltimore and the T-storms looked rough" and "Hey, I can see my house from up here."
The astronaut grew up in Cockeysville and graduated from Dulaney High School. He Tweeted "My parents were waving in Maryland at sunrise so I took a picture of them" to his parents, Bill and Judy Wiseman.
Wiseman says he was trying to capture another special photo.
"I want to see Baltimore at night. It's probably my next goal to capture those city lights," he said.
Sure enough, he delivered and Tweeted a photo of Baltimore City.
Wiseman is set to go down in history as the first real social media maverick in outer space. His photos of Earth are capturing the attention of the entire world, showing us views we'd never otherwise see. He even posted the first ever Vine video from space.
"You absolutely cannot pick up a camera and take a bad picture from up here," he said. "Everything is so incredibly unique. I've had a blast doing it and I'm so glad it's well-received."
Several things have surprised him about life with zero gravity.
"Everything surprises you when you are up here," he said. "Floating around, getting your brain to start working in three dimensions and looking not at a floor or a ceiling and two walls but every surface is usable up here."
Wiseman and his fellow astronauts are conducting dozens of experiments on board the ISS and Wiseman said one in particular is the namesake of WJZ's own Marty Bass.
"Every time I crank up this glove box to do burning and suppression of solids or the Bass experiment, I get a huge chuckle and remember back to my childhood and watching this crazy reporter down on WJZ bringing the news to my parents, my brother and I sitting there in Cockeysville, Maryland," he said.
Wiseman is on the space station for six months. It is expected he will do two space walks outside the ISS, possibly in August.
Wiseman now has more than 180,000 Twitter followers.
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