JACKSONVILLE -- A Florida mother is keeping a close watch over her son, even though he's out of this world.
Shane Kimbrough is one of the Endeavour astronauts on a two-week mission at the International Space Station.
Ryan Duffy talked with Kimbrough's mother, who said she is both concerned, and excited.
DeAnn Johnson watched, filled with pride, the moment Kimbrough poked out of the hatch of the International Space Station to start his spacewalk.
"This is what he just absolutely loves and it's just like ... wow. It's just a big wow," Johnson said.
Just like any mom would be, she was very happy for her son, but also watching from the edge of her seat.
"I'm proud. I'm a little nervous, a little anxious, but I know this is where he wants to be. I know he's got lots of prayers protecting him right now," Johnson said.
In his spacewalk Thursday, Kimbrough was tethered to the end of a robotic arm off the side of the space station. In total, he spent six hours out in space. He will go on a second space walk Monday.
Johnson said that, with NASA television, she will watch every minute of it.
"Where is Shane? I have to see my child," Johnson said as she watched the spacewalk.
Johnson had the chance to talk to her son from space on Monday and asked, just like a mom, "Are you sleeping OK? How's the food? And then, he was describing to me just how gorgeous the Earth is. He said it's so much brighter than you think it would be, and he was over Australia at the time, so it was really cool."
Comment on this story.