*  *  *

            There we were, four friends together on a camping trip, surrounded by glorious nature and the wide-open sky.  We talked and smoked, telling each other secrets and intimacies about our lives ... as friends are wont to do on such occasions.

            It was early autumn and the evening air held a chill.  Suddenly from above we spied a fast-moving object ... something glowing.  On first glance, it appeared as a shooting star and naturally, we chatted about the good fortune to see it ... something so special.  As the fiery phenomenon got closer, the realization struck ... it was a space ship!

            I decided at that moment that I've gotta, gotta, gotta be an Astronette!
 

            My friends and I burst into song at the very thought of space travel ... crooning about the wonders of the galaxy and imagining other worlds.  What would YOU do?!
 

            All suited up, I'm primed, primped and ready for lift-off!

 
            With excitement that can't be contained, I take every opportunity to sing of the exhilaration I feel over my impending space flight as an Astronette.  My friends, meanwhile, are wondering what to make of it all ... Where did she get that cool space suit? ... Will the flight be safe? ... Will Judy return? ... What will she find in the outer reaches of the final frontier? ... Is there room for a few more on the flight?  Questions, questions.
 

            The rocket ship looms ever closer as it soars past the luminescent stars, and finally the sleek, modern lines of the Strato-Cruiser can be viewed at close range.  Excitement builds.
 

            Finally aboard, I can inspect the inner-workings of the craft; the instrument panel with its computer monitor, keyboard, navigational guidance systems ... Along with the star-filled view from the great skylight in front of me.
 

            I just can't help but sing and dance as I view quarks and solar systems at every turn.
 

 
            Starry-eyed, I communicate my many interplanetary sightings to anyone who will listen back on planet Earth.
 

            Weightless!  This is every woman's dream, and I venture out into deep space, luxuriating in a gravity-free environment at last.  Bodily, I am untethered by Earth's restrictive bonds, and likewise, my mind is free to wander ... "did I turn off the stove?" ... and to explore other earthly and non-earthly contemplations.
 

            I'm on my lunar dance floor, moon-walking on the moon with out-of-this-world choreographic grace, don't you agree?  Surely Mission Control now knows that I still have the "right stuff" in my old trick bag and I'm not afraid to glide and strut that stuff; weightless, unencumbered, free at last.  All systems 'GO!'
 

 
            I happily glide through space investigating the specter of planets many light-years removed, as well as the lunar landscape below and that of home planet Earth, to which I shall one day return.
 

            Whoopee! I gleefully eye the entrance door to my rocket ship, ready at last to return to the people, places and things that I know and love.

            Like they say, "There's no place like home."

*  *  *

“ASTRONETTE”

The Complete Lyrics

          “Gotta, gotta be an Astronette,

          I’m not resigned to being Earth-bound yet.

          Take me, take me out of this world,

          Reserve a place for a space-age girl.

          "I’ll have a lift-off like you’ve never seen,

          My module has to be a clean machine.

          All systems go!  My course is set!

          What a trip to be an Astronette!

          "Will Australia turn on her lights,

          Like she did for John Glenn’s flight?

          I’ll check my dials before and aft;

          Don’t want no snafu’s on my space craft.

          "Me and my capsule will be soaring free;

          Say, how about that trajectory?

          Mission Control will say I’m in the clear,

          I’ll say I can’t believe the view from here!

          "Looks like I’m passin’ the Milky Way.

          Hey, I’m feeling weightless again today!

          The constellations put on a show;

          Old Terra Firma is miles below.

          "Just one more orbit and I’ll come back,

          I never did get to use my Jet-Pack,

          Or plant the flag on Lunar soil;

          Some times I wonder about that Ground Control.

          “Gotta, gotta be an Astronette,

          I’m not resigned to being Earth-bound yet.

          Take me, take me out of this world,

          Reserve a place for a space-age girl.”

*  *  *

Executive Producer – Betsy Egner

          Audio Producer – Jay Messina

          Audio Assistant – Don Rodenbach

          Video Editor – Chris Morse

          Video “Sinch” Staff – Lee Staford, Stripe

          Set Design – Bill Wolf

          Lighting Design – Joana Schielke, Randy Briggs

          Costume Design – Wayne Hawkins

          Model Buidlers – Linda Jeffers, Zak Danziger, Mr. Jimmie Pendergrast,

                    Robert Adams

          Production Assistants – Robert Adams, Mr. Jimmie Pendergrast

          Camera Opertators – Susan Suchman, Susan Detrie

          Hair Styling – Linda Jeffers

          Make-up – Anne-Marie Davies

          Transportation – Jeff Siegel

“Astronette” Composed by – Judy Whitfield, David Kumin

Special Thanks to:

          The Center for the Media Arts

          Record Plant Studios

          Video Monitoring Service

The Judy Whitfield Band:

          Stewart Lerman

          Richard Bush

          Bob Hillebrecht

          David Kumin

Campers portrayed by:

          Elaine Heiks

          Marsha Mowery

          Maria Manhattan

The “Astronette”:

          Judy Whitfield

*  *  *

   ...NEXT:  49er FOLLIES