The highlight of today for me will definitely be watching the launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery. I’ve been reading quite a bit lately about the space shuttle, including the little mishap they had yesterday with a cover falling off and striking the thermal shield. Oops. They seem determined to launch today though, barring weather problems, and I hope that everything is ready and they are good to go.
I have always been an astronomy and space nut, whether it’s the real thing or sci-fi tv or movies. I spent lots of summer nights growing up, outside in my yard, looking up at the stars and planets. I spent lots of late August nights watching the Perseids (meteor showers) and the same in November to watch the Leonids, wrapped up in a blanket, laying outside on my mom’s full-length patio chair (she called it a chaise lounge!). I grew up wanting to be a pilot, and for a long stretch in there, I decided I might as well fly into space and be an astronaut. 🙂 I was a small child when man first walked on the moon, and while I’d like to say that I remember it and it shaped my life, I honestly don’t remember seeing it! I was only 4 1/2 or 5 at the time, so I’ll use that as my excuse.
I do, however, remember when Challenger blew up.
I was in college and we had just gone to chapel, so it must have been on a Tuesday. We prayed for the lives of the astronauts, and they dismissed us – something that they never did at the small Presbyterian college I attended. I went back to my dorm and sat down in the lobby for several hours, watching the TV coverage of the accident and praying for the families of those on board. It was a defining moment in my life in a lot of ways. I lost a lot of innocence that day, my ideals about fulfilling your dreams and bad things not happening to good people. I lost my wide-eyed view of space as a dream, as a safe place. It was my first real brush with tragedy as an adult I guess, even though it wasn’t personal to me, it did really affect me. I remember it even now.
I remember when Columbia blew up 2 1/2 years ago, but for whatever reason, it didn’t affect me nearly as much. Age, a more jaded view of the world, or perhaps just a post-911 psyche that I have developed. With everything going on in the world today, it’s hard to look at things the same way.
Anyway, I will be glued to the TV this afternoon, watching. I hope all goes well, and they have a successful voyage. I know the guys on the International Space Station are looking forward to this, they have been stranded up there and using Russian capsules to go back and forth for over 2 years now. I’m sure they will be very happy to see the shuttle dock. 🙂
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