The end of an era...

Space Shuttle Atlantis makes the final trip into orbit.

Recently, the final space shuttle mission blasted off from Cape Canaveral and marked the end of a very cool era. Being a child of the 80's and having a lifelong fascination with the heavens above us, I had always wanted to go see a shuttle launch and once I realized late last year that this was it for the shuttle program, I decided to get down to see one of the final few launches.

Alas, however, it was not meant to be partially due to circumstances which I had little control over.

My disappointment as I watched the shuttle launch live via the internet on Friday morning was extreme, and melancholy followed me for a small portion of the day.

I wanted to have been there, and should have tried harder to make it happen.


Then, a little lightbulb representing a reality check slowly started to come on in my head.

For starters, yeah... it would have been hella cool to be there. But I had tried twice to get a coveted viewing position on the causeway, and had not been chosen for the lotto. This means I would have been delegated to viewing areas along the coast just like everyone else. Given that the day of the final launch was somewhat overcast and quite hazy, I'm doubting that too many people got the spectacular photos they would have liked. Even the footage that NASA broadcast live over their HD channel was not that great, and they have the best camera locations possible. So really, all I missed out on was the sound reverberating deep in my chest, which although disappointing in itself is not the end of the world.

The second little tidbit of reality that permeated my brain has pretty much completely killed any lingering disappointment that I had over not being able to go, and it's this:

When I think about my Grandmother, who was born in the 1930's, and all the amazing, really cool shit she has seen come to fruition in her lifetime, and then think about all the amazing, really cool shit that has even just come to fruition in my shorter lifetime, I now know that the shuttle program ending is not the end at all.

I have read somewhere that science and technology grow exponentially... in other words every cool, amazing breakthrough paves the way toward other cool, amazing breakthroughs, and they in turn do the same for the next leap forward.

To put it simply, the shuttle program was just a starting block... NASA is already talking men on Mars with the next generation of spacecraft that they intend to develop. And you know what? I intend on being around when they launch that particular puppy into the wild blue.  And the cooler thing yet?

It will be yet another starting block for a whole new host of ideas...

Here's to living to 150 years old, my fine readers!