Random Thoughts On Friday

I thought now might be a good moment to mention space. You know, the final frontier.

I love space exploration. I read books about space whenever I can. In fact, right now, I am reading Apollo astronaut Charlie Duke's book.

Duke mentions that, while he is on the moon with Apollo 16, he gets word that a budget has been passed for the space program, which includes the shuttles. Charlie thinks about the possibilities of a space station, and a moon base.

Well, the shuttle program came (and is almost over). The space station happened. The moon base obviously did not happen.

How exciting it must have been for Charlie Duke, on the moon, to get such great news about something so wonderful. The future must of seemed so limitless then.

I know the Apollo program was watched closely by everyone. I remember watching some of the shuttle launches in school.

But now, I fear our feelings of aw have gone away. Our enthusiasm for the space program seems diminished. I truly hope this changes soon.

NASA did announce the museums getting the retired shuttles a few days ago. Again, I checked several sites before the announcement. I didn't see many that were pushing the story heavily. I REALLY hoped that one would find its way to Dayton, but that did not happen. Some other worthy museums got them. I was pulling for Florida and Dayton. I was 1 for 2.