Baby born as astronaut daddy walks in space

23 November,2009 08:29 AM IST |   |  Agencies

Randolph Bresnik was on his first mission on board the space shuttle Atlantis when he got the good news


Randolph Bresnik was on his first mission on board the space shuttle Atlantis when he got the good news

An astronaut on the space shuttle Atlantis has become a father while in orbit, when his wife back on Earth gave birth to their baby daughter, NASA announced.

Randolph Bresnik who ventured out on his first spacewalk on Saturday, became a father for the second time when his wife, Rebbeca Burgin, gave birth.

"Abigail Mae Bresnik arrived at 12.04 am Sunday, November 22," the US space agency said in a statement posted on its website, adding that mother and child are "doing wel".

The happy news came on a relatively quiet day for the crews of both the International Space Station and the Atlantis shuttle, ahead of today's third and final spacewalk.

Bresnik and fellow astronaut, Mike Foreman, on Saturday completed the second of their mission's three spacewalks to maintain and install more hi-tech gadgets as they work to complete construction of the International Space Station.

The 42-year-old Marine and his crewmates were awoken by the song Butterfly Kisses, especially chosen by his wife, Rebecca.

Among the lyrics are the lines: "There's two things I know for sure, she was sent here from heaven and she's daddy's little girl."

Second Born

NASA said it is the second time a baby has been born to a US astronaut during a space flight.
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In June 2004, astronaut Mike Fincke's daughter Tarali was born while he was aboard the International Space Station.
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"I spoke to my wife on a satellite phone hookup while she was having the baby," he said.
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Randolph Bresnik Atlantis NASA