Goodbye, Space Shuttle

Space Shuttle Atlantis' (STS-135) final launch, July 8, 2011 (AP Photo)

I took Patrick to OMSI today to watch the final launch on the planetarium screen. I’m glad I did.

Several Portland news stations were there to film it, and one station (KATU) filmed people in the crowd, including Patrick. I saw the story on their live streaming a little while ago, and there’s two quick shots of Patrick, one of him flying his little shuttle toy in the air. If they post the video to their website, I’ll be sure to post it here!

I was not a NASA-crazed child, but I grew up with the Space Shuttle. I can recall the day when I found out, at age 7, that Challenger had exploded and its crew perished. It’s an important part of our history, not just as Americans, but as humans, to share in these awesome achievements of science and human ingenuity. I hope Patrick remembers this moment.