How far we have come! Forty nine years ago the world was forever changed. February 20, 1962
found Americans glued to their televisions sets as John Glen journeyed into space. We all watched as the rocket propelled him into the relatively unknown world of outer space. He orbited the earth three times and in so doing opened the door to further space research and travel. I was thirteen and totally captivated. It was such an exciting time as America competed with Russia to go the farthest, the fastest--it was all about being the best.
My generation has been privileged to see the advancements in space exploration from its first conception. I remember dark nights in the backyard watching for satellites to pass over and thinking how amazing it was that an object could continuously circled the planet and not fall back toward earth.
A new world and vocabulary was opening up. I watched the first moon landing on TV totally captivated by such an unbelievable event. The country was united and differences were put aside as the nation celebrated the victory. There was a sense of pride and excitement shared by Americans as the space race moved forward.
Nolan and I watched launches as kids. They were always a topic of discussion in school as each mission advanced in duration and sophistication. If a launch took place during school time a television was hooked up in the lunch room so we could watch. Everything about space was new and fascinating, still a little bit magical. The beginning was a series of baby steps as knowledge about space exploration and what it held for the future began to build.
By the time our children were in school, space exploration was something they saw as nothing out of the ordinary. The last fifty years have been full of wonder and zest to go further and farther. Now we stretch out to planets that have been beyond our reach. What once seemed only possible in a science fiction movie is moving closer to reality. How much is yet to be achieved is still a big question waiting to be answered.
The latest vehicle was launched into space on November 26th. The Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity will arrive on Mars in August 20012. Nolan and I will follow its journey closely and with more than just a casual interest. We watched the launch the of Curiosity up close and personal. It is hard to explain the emotions that were aroused as the rocket left the pad and moved toward the sky. The intensity and color of the flame as ignition took place was unexpected. It was a brilliant orange. The energy of the rocket thrust was surprising. Imagination is no substitute for the real thing. Being present you understand the amount of energy it takes to accomplish such an undertaking. The anticipation builds as the final countdown begins. In one voice everyone counts down the last ten seconds. A roar of ignition and the flame builds as the rocket leaves the pad. It is followed by cheers and yells. Every person is caught up in the emotions of those few seconds. For a brief period we are all united by the experience; just proud Americans grateful to stand there together and share the moment as one.
WOW! what a thrill to be there---MSL A long journey about 45-50 million miles to Mars! Scheduled arrival is August of 2012. GO CURIOSITY!
