Thanks, NASA (and Dad)
To me, the Space Shuttle is equivalent to Apple ][ Computers, VCRs, ET, Microwaves, Cable Television and CD players — evidence of how awesome technology was and could be, not to mention one of the first places where I learned or felt pride and awe in being an American in the 20th century.
So much has changed. The world is different and so am I.
And with that change, today, we mark the end of an era in great technology and great exploration of our world, our universe and ourselves.
I credit my dad for his unyielding awe of manned flight (and space flight) and giving me a respect for technology and instilling in me a desire to pull things apart, understand how they work, and see if I couldn’t make things better than I found them.
And, to some extent, I credit NASA and the Space Shuttle program for teaching me how awesome technology is, how humanity is more important than any technical advance, and a love of the Universe and the stars that I still have to this day.
I didn’t attend the launch today, but did attend one long ago after my dad took our family on a long drive to Cape Canaveral from Indiana where I watched an early morning launch and toured the Kennedy Space Center, stood next to a Saturn V, and took home my own Hotwheels-tough Space Shuttle which logged millions of scale-miles in my backyard over the years.
Thanks.
P.S. Here’s some food for thought for you:
The entire half-century budget of NASA equals the current two year budget of the US military.less than a minute ago via TweetDeck
Neil deGrasse Tyson
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