To the greatest team on Earth-

    I'm gonna keep this nice and short because otherwise I'll get all veklempt and the site'll never get done.
    Well, I went to Space Camp four times, once to regular Camp and three times to Advanced Academy. They were, without a doubt, the best four weeks of my life. Going into it this year, I knew it would be my last time and I didn't have such great expectations. Last year wasn't quite as good as the first two, and I figured I'd be so pre-occupied with saying good-bye to the place I'd forget to have fun.
   Fortunately, as it would turn out, things went exactly the opposite of how I expected. I can say without a shred of doubt that July 9-14, 2000 were the greatest days of my life. I had a great time with the training, I did it my way, and I made the most of everything. Sure that all was good, but it didn't make the week.
    What really made it for me was you guys. I have always maintained that what makes an experience like Space Camp great is the people, and y'all proved that to the letter. Never in my life have I met a finer, funnier, crazier, or more pleasant group of people to live and work with.
    For my last time at Space Camp, I got to do everything I wanted to do and never did. I got to sit on the top rung of the ladder for the team photo (dont' ask, it's an ego thing), I got to be SSPI for the EDM, and perhaps best of all, I got to go crazy! That was FUN! But more than any of that, I had the pleasure of working with an absolutely amazing team.
    I remember after graduation, the few of us who were left sat around the bottom Hab 1 and did some reflections, and we all came to the conclusion that we wouldn't change a single thing or person about the week. Originally, I was extremely disappointed because nobody from the previous years was coming back with me; a first for me. I now realize that if they had, that would have meant that one of you wouldn't have been there, and so in the long run, I'm happy about that. Even now, three months later, in hindsight I still wouldn't change anything.
    You guys are the only team I have ever been a part of that would have the gumption to shout "Whoop Ass!" at the top of their lungs in front of the Space Camp administration, or who would even consider tattooing team slogans on their arms, or who would make up any sort of team cheer. This was the only team I walked out of when everyone said "the team lives." And you know something, I believe it does. From the first three years, I still keep in contact with four people if I'm lucky. I've recently talked to every member of the Gagarin team. We really do Whoop Ass.
    I just really wanted to say thank you guys for everything. You made my last days of Space Camp the most enjoyable days of my life. I'll think back on that place and I'll have only happy memories and it'll all be because of my days in Team Gagarin. Every single one of you is truly awesome, and I hope to meet up with every one of you some time in the future. I can't begin to thank you guys enough for that.
    So, here's to Team Gagarin, the most awesome people on Earth! Gagarin is power! Gagarin is life! And so one final time,

Your team mate,

Michael Scott Kass