It's a tough week for NASA, the one that starts tomorrow. Why? Well, nobody could have wanted to predict that the three greatest tragedies in the history of the U.S. manned spaceflight program would all line up the way they did, albeit years apart. Some of you may not know exactly when these things happened, so here's the list:
But why? Where am I going with this?
In my opinion, their greatest accomplishment, the prime reason for NASA to exist at all, is to inspire. Without inspiration there is no innovation. And having an avenue for innovation is an absolute necessity in this world.
So. Do you remember a specific time or a special event related to NASA or any space program (no matter where on earth it operates out of) that inspired you to learn?
For me the specific causes are hard to pin down. I was born in November of 1969 between the flights of Apollo 11 and 12 and the world I grew up in was still very "over the moon" about having gone to the moon. I know my dad hung a poster insert from National Geographic on my bedroom wall that was a painting of all the Apollo astronauts standing in groups on the moon's surface when I was very young. I can also credit my Aunt Carol who was a fifth grade teacher who took us to the Visitor Information Center at Lewis Research Center at least once a year (usually in the late summer just before school started so she could keep up with current space events).
But there was another event in my young life that's hard to gloss over. I'm talking about this:
April, 1979. In the center of the photo you see my Mom in blue shorts and my Aunt Carol in green shorts running. Why? Because I bolted for the big space ship the second I got off the bus of course! :) Look to the left of the right landing gear and you'll see a nine year old Becky gazing up in awe. And yes, I'm sure I tried to reach the bottom of the wing with my fingertips. :)
That trip was also my first time at Walt Disney World and well, we all know where THAT lead! ;) But I only have one surviving souvenir from WDW that I can date to that specific trip: a collector coin. And it's the only souvenir I specifically remember buying at Disney in 1979. On the other hand, I remember vividly all the stuff I brought home (and one I didn't) from the Kennedy Space Center gift shop. And here are the survivors:
The KSC guidebook has lost it's cover, but I think it still exists. The book on the Space Shuttle is from 1977, so almost everything in it is concept art or speculation except for the photos and data concerning the test flights of Enterprise. Speaking of, I know you can't possibly miss the single greatest souvenir I got on that trip! Yes, it's bruised, battered and beaten. The tip of the right wing, 2 of the SSME's, both OMS engines, half the elevator and, most noticeable, the tail is missing. But it's still priceless to me! Because it reminds me of the moment I can't possibly hope to remember in the kind of detail I wish I could: the moment I touched a space ship that wasn't encased in plastic.
There were other NASA souvenirs from that trip that are long gone. I also brought home an Estes Mercury Redstone rocket kit. It was the old style with a balsa capsule that you applied stickers to. And I remember buying a radiometer. And just now as I typed this I remembered it broke when it got knocked off the window sill in the hotel room. If you're not familiar with radiometers, they look like a big light bulb with black rectangles inside that spin around when exposed to solar radiation. Also incredibly fragile! ;) Oh well, I bought one at my local NASA museum gift shop when I got home! :)
There were other trips with exciting events. In 1983 I saw Challenger on the pad ready for launch and in eight years later I finally got to see one. In November 1991, I saw the night launch of Atlantis! :) I remember touring blockhouses and decommissioned launch sites. In eighth grade I went to the Air and Space Museum as was typical at that time. The yearly trips to the VIC with my Aunt continued and when I had my own car I went on my own. I collected patches, collector coins and built models. Which continues to about 2 hours ago when I finished building a Thor-Able Tiros from nielspapermodels.com. And there's no end in sight! :)
In the final analysis maybe touching the Enterprise isn't a singular inspirational event in my life. Maybe it's more accurate to call it a "cementing" event in the history of my interest in space flight. Whatever you want to call it, and however it happened, my fascination hasn't ebbed. That fascination spun off genuine respect for the people who inspired me to learn.
And my respects are what I pay now.
Stay inspired!
- January 27, 1967 Apollo 1
- January 28, 1986 Challenger
- February 1, 2003 Columbia
But why? Where am I going with this?
In my opinion, their greatest accomplishment, the prime reason for NASA to exist at all, is to inspire. Without inspiration there is no innovation. And having an avenue for innovation is an absolute necessity in this world.
So. Do you remember a specific time or a special event related to NASA or any space program (no matter where on earth it operates out of) that inspired you to learn?
For me the specific causes are hard to pin down. I was born in November of 1969 between the flights of Apollo 11 and 12 and the world I grew up in was still very "over the moon" about having gone to the moon. I know my dad hung a poster insert from National Geographic on my bedroom wall that was a painting of all the Apollo astronauts standing in groups on the moon's surface when I was very young. I can also credit my Aunt Carol who was a fifth grade teacher who took us to the Visitor Information Center at Lewis Research Center at least once a year (usually in the late summer just before school started so she could keep up with current space events).
But there was another event in my young life that's hard to gloss over. I'm talking about this:
April, 1979. In the center of the photo you see my Mom in blue shorts and my Aunt Carol in green shorts running. Why? Because I bolted for the big space ship the second I got off the bus of course! :) Look to the left of the right landing gear and you'll see a nine year old Becky gazing up in awe. And yes, I'm sure I tried to reach the bottom of the wing with my fingertips. :)
That trip was also my first time at Walt Disney World and well, we all know where THAT lead! ;) But I only have one surviving souvenir from WDW that I can date to that specific trip: a collector coin. And it's the only souvenir I specifically remember buying at Disney in 1979. On the other hand, I remember vividly all the stuff I brought home (and one I didn't) from the Kennedy Space Center gift shop. And here are the survivors:
The KSC guidebook has lost it's cover, but I think it still exists. The book on the Space Shuttle is from 1977, so almost everything in it is concept art or speculation except for the photos and data concerning the test flights of Enterprise. Speaking of, I know you can't possibly miss the single greatest souvenir I got on that trip! Yes, it's bruised, battered and beaten. The tip of the right wing, 2 of the SSME's, both OMS engines, half the elevator and, most noticeable, the tail is missing. But it's still priceless to me! Because it reminds me of the moment I can't possibly hope to remember in the kind of detail I wish I could: the moment I touched a space ship that wasn't encased in plastic.
There were other NASA souvenirs from that trip that are long gone. I also brought home an Estes Mercury Redstone rocket kit. It was the old style with a balsa capsule that you applied stickers to. And I remember buying a radiometer. And just now as I typed this I remembered it broke when it got knocked off the window sill in the hotel room. If you're not familiar with radiometers, they look like a big light bulb with black rectangles inside that spin around when exposed to solar radiation. Also incredibly fragile! ;) Oh well, I bought one at my local NASA museum gift shop when I got home! :)
There were other trips with exciting events. In 1983 I saw Challenger on the pad ready for launch and in eight years later I finally got to see one. In November 1991, I saw the night launch of Atlantis! :) I remember touring blockhouses and decommissioned launch sites. In eighth grade I went to the Air and Space Museum as was typical at that time. The yearly trips to the VIC with my Aunt continued and when I had my own car I went on my own. I collected patches, collector coins and built models. Which continues to about 2 hours ago when I finished building a Thor-Able Tiros from nielspapermodels.com. And there's no end in sight! :)
In the final analysis maybe touching the Enterprise isn't a singular inspirational event in my life. Maybe it's more accurate to call it a "cementing" event in the history of my interest in space flight. Whatever you want to call it, and however it happened, my fascination hasn't ebbed. That fascination spun off genuine respect for the people who inspired me to learn.
And my respects are what I pay now.
Stay inspired!
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