Astronaut, former luger visits Lake Placid schools, Lake Placid News

“Parazynski has a long list of accomplishments. He is also an avid mountain climber and has scaled some of the world’s tallest peaks, including Cerro Aconcagua. Last year he attempted to climb Mount Everest, but was thwarted by a back injury. He is also a SCUBA diver, pilot and a medical doctor. Parazynski, it seems, loves doing things that would scare the daylights out of most people. When asked by students on Tuesday whether he was ever scared while in space, he answered yes, but not in the way one might think. “The first (mission), you’re just trying not to screw up multi-million dollar satellites and very expensive equipment,” he said. “If you were to make a mistake, you would be letting a lot of people down. I wanted to do a good job because I wanted to fly again.” There is one thing, however, Parazynski admitted might scare him a little. “Have you ever ridden in a skeleton (sled)?” he asked. “That just looks nuts.”