Sen. Lautenberg met with NASA Mission Specialists Christopher Cassidy and Thomas Marshburn and Space Shuttle Commander Mark Polansky (pictured left to right). Polansky grew up in Edison, New Jersey and is a Paterson native. Polansky has been on three space missions since 2001, the most recent being as commander of the Space Shuttle Endeavor, which conducted a 16-day mission in July 2009. (September 23, 2009)