Watching the Artemis II space capsule splash down in the Pacific off the Southern California coast Friday evening after a successful flight to circle the moon and return brought back memories of my time as the special assistant to the ranking member (Rep. Manual Lujan of New Mexico) of the House Science & Technology Committee of Congress.

The position was my last position as a Congressional staff member. The seven years with Congress included roles as a Press Secretary , Chief of Staff and the committee position. Lujan had told me he would be retiring at the end of his current term and I left Capitol Hill to become Division Vice President of Political Programs at the National Association of Realtors for five years before I returned to journalism as a contract photo journalist for AFP, the French News Service.

The Science and Technology Committee had jurisdiction on NASA and the space program. With Lujan, we traveled to Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral to watch launches of the Space Shuttle along with some landings. One landing, of the Columbia Shuttle, was scheduled to use Edwards Air Force Base in Colorado but was moved to White Sands in New Mexico, where I photographed the landing and we shot video for a re-election campaign commercial.

It took me two days to clear all of the sand out of my cameras and lenses.

Lujan’s father served as Mayor of Santa Fe and was born in a pueblo near Los Alamos. We made several trips to the town where they developed and built the atomic bombs dropped on Japan to help end World War II. He talked about seeing the sky light up on a July night when the bomb was tested more than 200 miles south of Santa Fe.

When the Challenger Shuttle exploded 73 seconds after launch on Jan. 28, 1986, the committee started an investigation and I worked with the staff member of the subcommittee handling the probe. It was a heart-rendering time. I spent a lot of time in the NASA offices in Washington and at the center in Houston.

After his final term ended, Lujan planned to retire to New Mexico, but incoming President George H.W. Bush asked him to serve as Interior Secretary. I was already working for the Realtors but helped him prepare for the hearings before the Senate. He asked if I would consider joining his staff as chief aide.

“I can’t,” I said. “I would have to be vetted by the White House and I would not get the clearance. I’m not a Republican.”

He looked surprised. “What do you mean you’re not a Republican. You worked for me.”

“You never asked,” I said. “I’m a political agnostic. I’ve never been a member of any political party.”

“But you came to Congress with Paul Findley (Congressman from Illinois). Did he know you weren’t a Republican?”

“Yes, he did,” I said. “He said he didn’t care.”

“Well, you did a great job for me, so I guess I don’t care,” Lujan said. The Congressman and Interior Secretary stayed in touch. He was a good friend.

During his four years as Interior Secretary, I would meet with him and his staff to discuss strategy and issues but it was off the books and I was not paid. I was sometimes asked why I worked for Republicans and not Democrats. “Republicans paid better and their checks usually don’t bounce,” I usually replied.

Manuel and I remained friends and stayed in touch until his death in Albuquerque at age 90 in 2019.