Space is really big. No. Bigger than that. Bigger!
Due to a freaky amount of snow that fell from the heavens, I watched the space shuttle launch today. I'm pretty sure that's the first live shuttle launch I've watched since 1986. I had a series of visceral responses watching the launch today that I'll be unpacking for years to come. What I said on Twitter at the time was:
"Shuttle launch causes nerd tears. Awe, pride, wonder, jealousy, and sadness."
Which is as close as I could get to explaining what I was feeling when Discovery made it into orbit safely. NASA is ending the shuttle chapter of American space flight after this mission. The fact that the shuttles simply exist and achieved everything that they did has left a mark on the shape of my soul. I was never planning to be an astronaut, but I can't imagine my life without all the little ways NASA and the space program intersected with my existence. I wouldn't be me without the space shuttle program.
Thanks, NASA. The next chapter might not look the way any of us imagined it, but I'm looking forward to following along.
"Shuttle launch causes nerd tears. Awe, pride, wonder, jealousy, and sadness."
Which is as close as I could get to explaining what I was feeling when Discovery made it into orbit safely. NASA is ending the shuttle chapter of American space flight after this mission. The fact that the shuttles simply exist and achieved everything that they did has left a mark on the shape of my soul. I was never planning to be an astronaut, but I can't imagine my life without all the little ways NASA and the space program intersected with my existence. I wouldn't be me without the space shuttle program.
Thanks, NASA. The next chapter might not look the way any of us imagined it, but I'm looking forward to following along.