BTS-1 While the Crew is MIA (Missing in Action)

You know what is so amazing? While Fuzz, Skye and I had so much fun inside the Louisiana swamp, our ground team put together a BTS Guestbook. And people left some of the most amazing messages of support for us! Just so heartwarming. Thank you all. If you want to read them all, here is the link to the Bears On Patrol BTS-1 Guestbook.

Here are just a few of the messages I wanted to share with you and some images from the Wildlife Refuge.


Name: Ed Van Cise (Carbon Flight)
From: Houston, Texas
To the crew of BTS-1:
From the folks at the Christopher C. Kraft Mission Control Center in Houston, we wish you the very best and are hopeful for a safe and speedy recovery. After experiencing the pins and needles of waiting to hear from the Expedition 6 crew after they performed a ballistic entry in their Soyuz, I can tell you that we understand what the BTS community is going through and cannot wait to hear of your safe recovery and to hear your tales of these past few days.
To your recovery team - we wish you success and safety in your work. Also, your recovery updates do a tremendous job explaining the preparations this crew has undergone for this type of contingency and how those are similar to the training undergone by astronauts and cosmonauts around the world. Thank you for sharing this with people. All the best to the steely-eyed crew of BTS-1; hope to see you at Boon's soon!


Name: @esaoperations
From: Darmstadt, Germany
To the brave crew of #BTS-1!
Camilla, Skye, Fuzz: You dudes rock!
Regardless of all that survival training you astros get, we know it's gonna come down to a simple question of strength of will vs. Mother Nature (aka LA swampland). Since, in fact, you three are stuffed/rubber, we're pretty sure finding rations won't be an issue - so HANG in there! And best wishes to the Recovery Team from all of us here at ESA Operations!


Name: Suzanne
From: Arlington, VA
We're all wishing all of you well - the crew of BTS-1 and the support and rescue crews. We're quite certain that Camilla is chicken scratching all of her tweets on the inside of the Inspiration capsule, so that a complete record of the mission is kept (and the screenplay will be ready for the BTS-1 movie!) Godspeed, all!

From here on the ground team could only travel by boat.
Gators in the water. 

Name: Rachel Howe
 From: Sheffield, England
Best wishes for a safe return! This is turning out to be more of an adventure than anyone expected, but I hope you'll be home -- and telling us all about it -- soon.

Name: Robyn Villavecchia
  From: Petaluma, CA

Camilla is my inspiration, who keeps me young and stokes the fires of knowledge and science.
Be safe, my friend.

Name: Tim and Moby
  From: Internetland

Hoping you guys make it home soon. We appreciate your efforts to sacrifice yourselves in the name of science! Moby says, "Beep."

Name: Leanne D (Launchchasersis)
   From: Flooded Manitoba Canada

Camilla, Fuzz and Skye. I know your training has kicked in and the cupcake supply is running low. But you will be OK, cuz I need to see you at STS 135. Keep the faith, as your handlers dedication to you and your mission is truly an "Inspiration"

Name: Anthony Coiner
     From: Boise, ID

I wish you all the best in finding our friends. They've become such great icons for everyone they've come in contact with and the work they've done so far is fantastic. I'm sure you're doing your level best to find them. Best of luck in doing so.

About to go "on land" the first time. 

Name: Jeanette Dunphy
      From: Kilcoy, Queensland, Australia

I love you guys, looking forward to hearing about your big adventure.
Hope you're staying safe.
xox

Name: Eico
       From: Frankfurt, Germany

To all of the BTS-1 Team: Keep up the spirit!
This is an awesome mission and like Romeo said: In everything that goes wrong in the first place lies knowledge for the second try!
You all rule!

Name: Aaron Herridge
     From: Houston, TX

BTS-1 Crew,
I am one of the students at University of Houston - Downtown who assisted with your launch. I would like to say that it was my honor to be a part of your "Inspiration" mission, and I can attest to the fact that you have certainly inspired thousands with your courage and dedication to the promotion of science.
I, along with your other thousands of supporters, wait in anxious anticipation for word of your recovery from the swamps of Sabine Lake in Southwestern Louisiana.
I hope that you will consider me an eager volunteer to assist with any future launches you have, and I hope the Greater Houston Area will be considered for future missions.
Most Sincerely,
Aaron D. Herridge

Not easy to move. Add the mosquitos, the smell and the gator nests to the mix,
and you have yourself an adventure. 

Name: Shelley Cherkowski
      From: Vancouver BC

Hope the cupcakes have held out. This is only one mission. We need you all to continue your important work highlighting science, space, and peace. You are the best ambassadors. Hang in there.
If desire alone could lift you out of that swamp then the power of your recovery team and your fans would have you propelled high enough to be having coffee with Astro_Ron right now.

Name: Shannon (@ageekmom) & Family
       From: San Antonio, TX

As a lifelong supporter and fan of spaceflight and exploration, I have learned to accept that with great achievements also come occasionally great disappointments and losses. Whatever the fate of the BTS-1 crew, Camilla, Fuzz & Skye, the mission and spirit of these explorers will live on to inspire current and future generations. The future doesn't belong to the faint-hearted, it belongs to the brave!
We continue to hope we will hear Camilla's SQUACK again, hug Fuzz's soft fur (once he's had a couple decontaminating showers), and meet Skye. If not, we feel the loss keenly but will strive to keep their memory alive.

Name: Happpiii
         From: Norway!

Please hurry home! The cupcakes we bought for the recovery celebration are getting stale!

Name: Katrina (Astro_yyz)
          From: Toronto

Challenges are inherent in spaceflight and balloon flights. Through trials, adventures, errors and sleepless nights comes knowledge. From bug infested swamps comes fortitude, and from this adventure you will find strength and bravery you never knew you had with your friends.
Stay strong, help each other and we will see you soon.

Name: Tim Bailey
            From: Washington, DC (a mostly dry part of planet Earth)

Thanks to the Recovery Team for all of your hard work and dedication to locating and rescuing the BTS-1 crew! No matter what, we know you did your best.
To the BTS-1 crew, wherever you are: Thank you for making science so much fun and engaging so many of us around the world. We appreciate your hard work and sacrifice. We are still rooting for you!

Name: @QuarkSpin
            From: Alabama (The Beautiful)

A big shout out to the Recovery Team for working so hard to locate the BTS-1 crew. Sometimes it's hard to stay focused when the whole social media universe is watching you.
To Camilla and the rest of the BTS-1 crew: thank you for engaging the public and drawing them back to science and exploration. My best hope is that you'll be rescued and can add this chapter to your ongoing adventures.

On to the next location. 

Name: Karen Pierson
              From: New Jersey

Your mission is truly an "Inspiration"! Thank you for all that you are doing to raise awareness on the importance of space exploration. I hope that the crew can be found soon so that they can go on to the next mission (after a well deserved vacation, of course). I love what you are doing and it makes me want to get involved! I'm thinking of sending my teddy, Baby Beau, to space camp : )Come home BTS1!

Name: Robert
               From: Louisiana

Look forward to hearing the outcome and hope they find ya'll. Love the idea behind your mission and hope it isn't the last of it's kind.

Name: Joel Glickman
                From: Troy, NY, USA, Earth, Solar System, Milky Way

We are all inspired by this incredible journey. We also knew that Inspiration would be located due to the Recovery Team's tireless efforts. Your mission has touched the hearts and minds of many a space enthusiast and touched the imagination of many children. Hats off to the very dedicated team behind this mission. The added drama will only serve to fuel the movie script.
JFK once said: "We do not do these things because they are easy, but because they are hard."

Name: Gene Mikulka
                  From: Morris County, New Jersey

Congrats to the BTS-1 Crew for boldly going where no program mascots have gone before. Camila, Fuzz Aldrin and Skye Bleu gave well deserved attention to the programs that they represented. Mission Accomplished!

Name: Dennis Bonilla
                   From: Washington, DC

Wonderful news about the recovery of the capsule. Can't wait to hear how the data is analyzed and join in future science efforts. Bravo team!

One of the ground rescue workers - mosquito marks clearly visible.