Deal of the Day!

I got a call from my brother this morning.  Andrew said he was in the area and asked if I wanted to get together with him "later".  I asked what his definition of "later" was.  He said about noon.  I told him I would be done taking maternity photos for a friend by then.  We could certainly get some lunch and hang out.  Andrew said he was here for Endeavour's stop on the way to L.A. and that the shuttle would be on display until sometime tomorow morning.  I was disappointed that I wouldn't be able to make it out to the airfield because of the prior commitment.

Instead, almost immediately after we arrived at the park, a low flying airplane came past.  Sure enough, Endeavour was piggybacked on it.  I fumbled for the zipper on my camera case & pulled out the camera just as the plane disappeared behind the trees.

Later, it made another pass, but this time I had my camera in hand.

 

The girls were amazed and I was thrilled that they were able to see it as well.  It has been difficult for me to know that many of the things I grew up with around the space program will not be everyday things for my children. 

 

Fire drills for shuttle launches and regular space flights are intertwined with the memories of my childhood.  I know Princess N has seen at least 2 shuttle launches and Lady A has seen one of the last night launches. (the first night launch since the Columbia accident if I remember correctly)  But, Lady A was a baby still.  Miss E, well, her only experience with the space program of my childhood will probably be what she reads in history books and what Michael and I remember.



Today was a sad reminder of the end of an era.  With so much emphasis on playing it safe, I pray there will be men and women who are still willing to take the risks that so many astronauts and engineers and pretty much everyone who worked with the space program were willing to take.  With our ever changing technology surely there must be some way to appease those who only consider safety with the risks others long to take.