We could all stand to be a little more like Harrison Sheldon.
The 4-year-old "small astronaut" is the child behind a series of photos by his father, Aaron Sheldon, that have garnered national attention. The theme? In a world full of places and things often perceived as old hat, to a child, it is magnificent. While adults practically sleepwalk through places such as Target or laundromats, Harrison can be seen taking in every moment, dressed as an astronaut. An explorer in his own little world.
"It's about reminding parents that our kids are explorers in what we see as an everyday world," said Aaron.
But there was one particular photo that caught the eye of Kennedy Space Center officials. Harrison, suited up, held a sign on the side of a desolate road. The sign read, "Space Coast Florida or bust."
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Andrea Farmer, public relations manager at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, stumbled upon the picture and saw a match made in heaven. She read Sheldon's story through a Kickstarter page — Aaron wants to put together a book of his work. She emailed the family, who live in Columbus, Ohio, and before they knew it they were on Cocoa Beach, watching a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch into the sky early Monday morning.
Farmer said the visitor complex provided an all-expenses paid trip to the Space Coast, including Kennedy Space Center tours and a behind-the-scenes look. But to top it all off, Farmer's team arranged for Harrison to meet a real astronaut, coincidentally on the same day as the anniversary of the moon landing.
Wednesday morning, Harrison was guided through the Atlantis exhibit, where he was greeted by Columbia Space Shuttle pilot Jon McBride. A little nervous from all the attention, Harrison was timid at first as he paced around the striking Atlantis exhibit. But it didn't take too much time for him to warm up to McBride, even sitting on his shoulder for a few shots in front of the shuttle. The two went through the complex together, riding slides, exploring the cockpit and posing in front of iconic NASA regalia, such as the van that transported astronauts to the launch pad.
"I can picture myself like this. If I were his age, I'd be doing the same thing," said McBride. "I grew up with the space program and always wanted to do it, so maybe one of these days he will do it too."
Harrison's mother, Jessica, beamed as her son crawled through an International Space Station mock-up, waiting at the ready to tie his shoes or provide a snack. Aaron, on the other hand, was hard a work, snapping photos of Harrison posing with his helmet on.
"It's been a dream come true," said Aaron, noting his favorite shots were of Harrison in front of Atlantis.
But as with all dreams, it started off quite simple for the Sheldon family. The inspiration for the photo series began with a routine trip to the doctor's office. Harrison was scared to sit on the exam table, so his dad gave him a little pep talk about being brave. He asked his son, "Who do you think is really brave? Police officers? Firefighters?" Harrison responded, "What about Astronauts?" So Aaron went with it. He encouraged Harrison to be brave like an astronaut and sit on the exam table. Inspired, Harrison told his dad next time he should wear his astronaut suit to the doctor so his dad could take his picture. And that's how it all began, said Aaron.
Aaron ordered a new astronaut suit off Amazon and began snapping Harrison's photo. One of his favorite places is on the bus, said Aaron, so he captured that. It was a perfect example of how something ordinary becomes extraordinary for a child.
Fast forward and the photo series has taken off. Aaron is working on a book titled, "Small Steps are Large Leaps." The family has raised more than $5,000 on their Kickstarter page to fund the book and a gallery. A mix of art and STEM, Aaron's work hopes to inspire a new generation of parents willing to guide their children toward exploration and innovation.
"My goal is that these images will remind other moms or dads out there who may be losing their patience in line at the grocery store or coffee shop that our kids aren’t just acting like fools — they are exploring new frontiers," he writes on his Kickstarter page. "Our job as parents is to act as their mission control and co-pilot to make sure they can explore as much of their new world as possible."
To follow the Sheldon's journey, follow them on Instagram at Instagram.com/smallstepsaregiantleaps. To follow the campaign or pre-order the book, visit their Kickstarter page "Small Steps are Giant Leaps" at Kickstarter.com.
Contact Saggio at 321-242-3664, JSaggio@FloridaToday.com or follow @JessicaJSaggio on Twitter. Instagram: JessicaJSaggio Snapchat: JuhJuhJuh
Apollo 11
Go to floridatoday.com/space for a video celebrating the Apollo 11 mission and man's first moon landing. And see some of the objects eft behind on the moon including flags, cameras and, of course, bootprints.
