Just a side note and probably largely forgotten by many people is that the first shuttle was the Enterprise. It was a prototype and did not travel into space.
The shuttle was and still is a remarkable vehicle. The ships constructed for space travel was five, Columbia, Challenger, Endeavor, Discovery and Atlantis. Most of the shuttles were built during the late 70s and early 80s. A shuttle is the first reusable launch system ever designed, developed and implemented. These five ships are workhorses. We have the international space station, satellites orbiting the planet, rovers exploring other planets in our solar system and a far better understanding of the universe because of these ships and the people of NASA. The shuttle program has served the U.S. well for decades.
As with any flight program, this one had risks. Two of the five ships were lost, Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003. These were tragic days, but few questioned the continued value of space exploration. It is testament to the U.S. people that we mourned the loss of brave astronauts, tried to learn from any mistakes, and resumed shuttle launches.
Humans are naturally curious. We want to know what is at the bottom of the ocean, what is beyond that mountain, what is beyond those stars. We spend fortunes, invest in new technology, and take great risks to find out. I think we are looking for answers and new sources of, well, just about everything up to and including new life, raw materials, energy, spices, you get the idea. It truly separates humans from all other animal forms on the planet. We are not only curious, we try to figure better and safer ways to explore.
Endeavor's last flight is planned for April 19th. Atlantis' last flight is tentatively scheduled for June 28th, but has not been funded.
This is the end of an era. For people around my age, we learned about the space missions of the 60s, we may remember the moon landing in 1969, studied space travel in school during the 70s and truly experienced space travel with the shuttle in the 80s.
Since the beginning of the shuttle program, we have seen over 130 launches. Please do not get the idea I have watched every one, but I have watched a few. However, this year I will try and watch the final flight of Endeavor and Atlantis, just like I watched Columbia take off 30 years ago. I will experience a thrill as I listen to the countdown. My heart will beat faster as the engines start right before takeoff. I will celebrate at the first sign of liftoff. I will watch in awe as the shuttle heads into space and the planet gets smaller. I will smile as the screen changes to a shot of NASA control. I will bow my head and say a small prayer for a safe journey. I will marvel at the shuttle. And finally, I will be sad knowing that the shuttle flights are swiftly coming to an end.
It was beautiful. First you listen to the countdown. As you listen, you are reminded of the substantial infrastructure needed to launch a shuttle. Second, you got to watch it lift off. Discovery climbed into the atmosphere. From the attached cameras you could see the planet get smaller and smaller. The ship rotates and then the booster tank is ejected. Off it goes on yet another mission. One we somewhat take for granted. The first shuttle took off over 30 years ago.
No comments:
Post a Comment