Today is the day NASA sets aside to remember those who gave their lives in pursuit of our dreams to explore above and beyond the surface of our planet.
January 27, 1967 - the Apollo 1 space capsule was engulfed in flames during a pre-launch test.
January 28, 1986 - the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded less than a minute and a half after launch.
February 1, 2003 - the Space Shuttle Columbia broke up upon re-entry.
While I wasn't alive during the Apollo program, I am old enough to remember exact where I was during both the Challenger and Columbia disasters. They both affected me deeply.
I have been in love with the Universe for as long as I can remember. I'm pretty sure it was a done deal when I first saw the Moon in the night sky. My mom can attest to that. Be it movie, book, or museum, I devoured all things space related. And while I've come out the other side of my astronaut phase (for various reasons), I would still gladly sit on top of a rocket, no matter what the risks, to have the chance to touch the stars. And I know each of the astronauts who lost their lives in these disasters felt the same.
So I'm glad NASA has established this day of remembrance to honor both the sacrifice that comes with exploration and the dreams that drives us to explore in the first place. Ad astra per aspera.
2 comments:
I just discovered you by reading your bit on coffee in Scientific American. Thank you for your superb writing, and particularly for this article. I have been a space cadet since discovering sci-fi 50 years ago and have followed our space program through the years. Keep writing!
Summer, not so much a comment - though I enjoy what you've write! - as a note that seeing the title of your blog made me think you might enjoy a book I've written on the interesting 18th century scientist emilie du chatelet who also used that term. The book's called 'passionate minds', and came out about five years ago. Best, David Bodanis
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