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Maine NASA alums donate flag flown at space station

Caribou's Jessica Meir kept the flag during a 205-day trip on the ISS and then left it for York's Chris Cassidy to bring back to Earth.

AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Janet Mills welcomed two state leaders in space exploration to the Maine State House on Friday. 

Derrick Porter, a self-described lobsterman's son from Cutler, and a NASA spacewalk engineer joined Caribou's own astronaut Jessica Meir to gift a Maine flag to the state museum. 

The flag flew with Meir on the International Space Station and was brought back to Earth by York native Chris Cassidy.

"Having sons and daughters of Maine up there gave us all hope, and today we bring a piece of that hope back to our state," Mills remarked.

Meir said one of her main jobs, now that she's back on Earth, is to share her experiences with others to educate them about the work done by her and her colleagues at NASA, and also inspire people to set high goals.

"What I really want to do now is to make sure that I can share this with everybody and give back, and tell everybody what it was like," Meir said. "Help share these experiences so they can all play a part of it. And that's part of the reason of us giving this flag back."

With this trio of Mainers working in aerospace — and more undoubtedly working behind the scenes — NEWS CENTER Maine asked the pair what the state's place is as it charts new courses beyond the sky.

"All kinds come in [to NASA], and that's always the best way to solve a problem or to accomplish anything. You want to have diversity, and you want to have different ways of thinking," Meir said. "I think that's a long way of saying there's a place everywhere for people from Maine."

"What I found when I got to NASA was, the reason I was chosen for my job was, 'worked on the back of a lobster boat,'" Porter said about his resume. "So, what Jessica's saying is absolutely right. They're looking for that diversity, that extra spark. But you do have to go there and get it."

Later that evening, Meir threw out the first pitch at a Portland Sea Dogs game and held a question-and-answer session at the park with dozens of families who came to meet her.

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