'Space Shuttle Door Gunner' My Version...

'Space Shuttle Door Gunner' (or, SSDG) is used to describe someone that is bragging about some ultra-cool job position or experience not specifically related to military service. Similar to 'stealing-valor' but the teller usually isn't claiming to be or have been enlisted in the military. Merely some kind of amazing inflated story about their abnormal civilian work.

Stories of being a civilian helping Aliens fight Aliens on the Dark Side of the Moon..and other tall-tales of crazy-heroism, of super-secret operations involving the darkest covert groups doing unimaginable 'work', or living through death-defying acts in that line of work. Ref. the movie "Gravity". Maybe not the healthiest lies..but, still not the types of people that steal valor and need mental help but instead choose to try bragging for 'wows!' or to steal a veteran discount.

Sometimes a story might be legit. Especially, if there actually are space shuttle door gunners fighting aliens on the dark side of the Moon. Sure, why not..? Or, someone might have tales of lesser feats that still might be hard to believe.  The only legitimate reason to practice being a SSDG is story-inflation to score.

In the James Bond movie 'Moonraker'...there is a moment between Bond and Miss Moneypenny that exactly demonstrates the legitimacy of story-inflation to score and its entirely acceptable. As long as scoring IS the result, the ends justify the means. His reason below is even used by a lot of SSDGers. But, this wasn't for Miss Moneypenny and Bond never has to inflate his stories to score with chicks...watch the movie though. Miss Moneypenny had a burning crush for Bond.

Miss Moneypenny: James! But, why are you so late?
James Bond: I fell out of an airplane without a parachute. Who's in there?
Miss Moneypenny: Q and the Minister of Defense.
James Bond: You don't believe me do you?
Miss Moneypenny: No. And you should go right in.

So, I know there were no door gunners in NASA's Space Shuttle program..I Was There..in the bowels.

Maybe 2006, STS OV-095 Payload-Bay

My actual stories sometimes seem like B.S. Its hard to lie when the truth is crazy enough. But, there was a time when 'my office' (my desk, chair, phone, calendar, manuals, file cabinets, and space aircraft bits...but, no mini-guns) happened to actually be in the payload-bay of one of NASA's Space Shuttles...the OV-095. The reasons why the OV-095 payload-bay would become office space is simple. Office space in the Space Shuttle Avionics Integration Labratory Bldg. 16 and 16A was very limited. Since I was tasked with watching every bit of the OV-095 ..my office was smashed into the payload-bay until 'better' office space opened up about 2 years later. I do know that simulated space is still very cold. Here is a picture of me nearly freezing. The blue cabinets were full of computers and other assorted flight support equipment needing a lot of cooling.