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I really appreciated the kind responses to my "spacey" question. It seemed
to generate a good bit of interest.

There was nearly a consensus that CD would keep a person out of the
military. However, there was one dissenting voice. A Lieutenant in the US
Navy (with CD) stated that it's possible to use "plausible denial" when
asked about "allergies" in the health screening.

That aside, most felt that my son would have a better chance of becoming an
astronaut as a scientist -- that a celiac on the GF diet (and free of
symptoms) is in "perfect health" and that NASA might be more lenient about
special diets than the military.  One interesting caveat that came up is
that astronauts are more prone to osteoporosis from weightlessness; so if a
celiac already had low bone density, this might keep him out.

Overall, it seems as if there's still reason to hope & dream, at least for
would-be space explorers. And, yes, my son is already focusing on math &
science (wish I'd taken more sciences in high school and college -- he's
already beyond me!).

Thanks again,
Tami

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Tami Powell
Waterford, Michigan
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