NASA Reprimands Hide & Seek Worker

Space giants NASA issued a statement yesterday saying they would “take a hard line” against a staff member who hid in the Space Shuttle Atlantis during a game of hide and seek.

John Machiano, 37, a space laboratory scientist, thought he would put one over on his colleagues during the team-building exercise last week. “It was such a good place to hide, hardly anyone has access to the take-off area”, he said.

He added, “I found a small storage space in the crew quarters and hid there. I must admit it seemed a long time before I realised something could be wrong, but I put it down to my excellent hiding spot”.

Machiano's hiding place has already been lauded as the finest in NASA's history.

John was only discovered when the six–man crew entered the store in the quarters to get some boardgames on the second evening.

Commander Brent Jett said, “we had just settled on Trivial Pursuit, but we found John floating there. He looked pretty cold, but otherwise in good health”.

The unlikely astronaut capped a brilliant, if unexpected weekend, when he completed what he said was, “a lifetimes ambition,” of performing a moonwalk in zero gravity.

However, following a successful touchdown, NASA bosses said they would ‘strictly punish’ Machiano, in order to prevent, what they called, a highly embarrassing and potentially deadly mistake turning from game to grim.

Machiano, meanwhile, is hoping that Hollywood will be interested in making a film of his unusual story.

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