Alcorn 'starstruck' during tour of Houston's Johnson Space Center

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Alcorn
Councilwoman Sallie Alcorn joins other leaders in tour of Johnson Space Center | Twitter/Sallie Alcorn

Houston City Councilor At-Large Sallie Alcorn joined several other dignitaries including the current head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Bill Nelson on a tour of the Johnson Space Center. 

Alcorn shared pictures from her visit to the space center on Twitter. 

"So grateful to represent Mayor Turner and Houston for a tour of @NASA_Johnson with @NASA administrator @SenBillNelson and members of Houston's congressional delegation this morning," Alcorn wrote in the Sept. 2 tweet. "Starstruck to meet astronauts and team members from the Apollo missions."

In a separate tweet, Alcorn said the city was lucky to have such an influential asset a part of their community.

"NASA's groundbreaking work has laid the foundation for commercial space exploration and served as a catalyst for @HouSpaceport," Alcorn tweeted. "How lucky are we [to] have NASA in our great city?"

Nelson's visit to the Johnson Space Center was a homecoming of sorts for the ex-senator. A former space shuttle payload specialist, Nelson first reported to the Houston-based NASA facility in 1985, according to Space.com.

"I had the privilege of spending some time here," Nelson told reporters during his Sept. 2 visit, according to Space.com. "What are my thoughts as I come back to Johnson? I am ready to go down there and suit up."

Space.com reported Nelson was the second congressional observer to fly into space and was on the last space shuttle mission before the 1986 Challenger tragedy. 

Nelson took over as NASA administrator in May and has been touring the agency's field centers ever since, according to Space.com.

The article also noted the Johnson Space Center oversees the operation of the International Space Station; development of the Orion spacecraft and Gateway lunar outpost; and commercial low Earth orbit programs, as well as serves as the primary training facility for NASA's astronaut corps.