After 33 years and 135 missions this will mark the end of the space shuttle adventures when Atlantis lands on July 20, 2011. Someone has decided it is too expensive to continue with the shuttle program.
After a few delays this morning, I watched as the shuttle blasted off from the launch pad in Florida. As the shuttle turned in the sky and made its way into the clouds, I heard the ground crew instruct the astronauts to "go with throttle up"
I cringe when I hear those words.
In January 1986, as teacher Christa McAuliffe and six others made their way into space, the crew at Kennedy Space Center instructed the Challenger space shuttle to "go with throttle up" then the shuttle exploded.
Then there was silence.
What a terrible feeling I still remember 25 years later. Today's mission however, seemed to go off without any problems. They will docking at the space station, unloading supplies, then headed back to earth at the end of the week.
Going to outer space and back has fulfilled many dreams. Maybe Mars isn't out of the question!
No comments:
Post a Comment