FOXBORO -- There was a rare sight today at Bill Belichick's press conference as NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy was among those in attendance as a guest of the Patriots. The Maine native, who's also a fan of the team, sat among media members as Belichick fielded football-related questions.
At the end of the session Belichick was asked, "Ever see yourself living on a space station for six months?"
Belichick smiled.
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"I don't like heights," he said before turning his attention to Cassidy.
"That would be pretty interesting -- float around there."
Moments earlier, Belichick had been talking about the importance of the kick-return game and how touchbacks had factored into NFL play last year. Cassidy told him that in space, "You wouldn't have touchback concerns there."
Belichick added, "You could hit a golf ball a long ways, too, right? Drive the green?"
The coach stopped to take a photo with Cassidy, who was in his NASA uniform, before heading off for practice.
Cassidy's biography is impressive. From York, Maine, the 42-year-old has degrees from the US Naval Academy and MIT. He spent 10 years as a member of the US Navy SEAL Teams, and since being selected by NASA in 2004 he's completed three spacewalks for a total of over 18 hours.