The space shuttle "Endeavor"
As most of you already know, NASA sent The Endeavor on a fly-by over Southern California today, causing gridlock on freeways and parking structures throughout the land. It was a moment that I will remember the rest of my life. When I got home from work and logged on to facebook, I saw the following query from one of my younger facebook friends:
"Why is everyone so excited about that space shuttle???"
The responses ranged from "UGH boring", to "Okay, here I am working and ya'll are looking up in the sky and I don't even know what the Endeavor is!" followed by "My thoughts exactly LOL!"
I thought that, perhaps, the viewpoint of an older, more experienced geezer might be enlightening, so I posted the following:
"Speaking strictly for myself, it gives me a feeling that I don't get too often anymore...it makes me proud to be an American. It takes me back to a time before politicians were expected to be corrupt, before wars were fought for petroleum and before The United States of America apologized for doing what was right. It reminds me that there used to be hope for a brighter future...when the exploration of space was an attainable goal and sending men to the planets was just a matter of time. Seeing that Glorious Craft in the sky reminds me that, once, Americans were all united in a single cause...and that makes me proud!"
I look forward to your thoughts and comments. Is space exploration now just a forlorn concept for us older folks or is there hope for the younger generation as well...provided that they can stop staring at their cellphones long enough to formulate the concept of "hope"?