Bittersweet Day

This morning I was awakened quite early by a big "BOOM BOOM!"  It was the sonic boom from Space Shuttle Atlantis returning home.  I turned to Hubby and said in my half asleep state, "Shuttle's home."  He said, "Yep, for the last time." 
We have known for quite some time that the space shuttle program was coming to an end.  Today was officially the last day.  There will be no more shuttle launches and no more booms announcing her safe return.  The end of an era and this booster brat is quite sad.  I barely remember my life before the shuttle program began and having grown up as a part of the Kennedy Space Center family, there is an emptiness thinking that there will be no more.

Here she is after bringing our astronauts safely home today.

Perhaps there will be another vehicle to come along in my lifetime.  I hope that the powers that be will realize sooner rather than later the importance of our space program and place a priority on getting us back up there.  We can't just sit here and wait and watch while other countries pass us by. 



Hubby made this video last year after we went to see Atlantis Roll out from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pad.  In it, you can hear Prince talk to the crew of that mission.

There are many people who have invested their lives in the Space Shuttle Program, for science, for national security, for innovation, for America.  I am blessed to be a part of a space family.  From my Grandaddy to my parents, uncles, aunts, and brother-in-law they have all been a part of a team that has been "Doing What Others Dream."  This afternoon my Dad came by with presents for us.  He brought us t-shirts, but he also brought a medallion commemorating the end of the space shuttle program.  The metal that the coin is made from flew on in space on the shuttle.  It's a nice remembrance of many good years.

It's been a nice ride and I hope I'm alive to see what comes next.