Wasn’t this just the coolest thing ever?
No, it’s not Wyoming or ranchlife… oh, wait, a company in Gillette helped with the flame deflector at launch… so yes, there’s my “in”. This Artemis II flight has been thrilling to watch these last ten days. The splashdown today brings back those memories of watching the first ones 50 years ago. It was cool then, and it’s cool now.
I remember my parents calling me inside to watch the moon landing and walk and I believe I rolled my eyes. I was playing outside and having fun… but when I sat down and watched, I was a convert. I’ve followed the space program since. No, I’m not a big geek about it, but I knew when the Apollo missions were going on, I knew the space shuttle schedule, and can still tear up if someone says, “Go at throttle up”, because I was watching. My hero was Captain Kirk since he was the “first” to go where no man has gone before. I’ve taught Girl Scouts the stories of Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Cetus, Andromeda, and Perseus. I’ve attempted photos of comets. I made sure I had a plan for the eclipse a few years ago. Northern Lights, “like fingers, they feel for the sky”, grab my attention ever since my dad would wake me in the middle of the night in Anchorage, Alaska, and we’d watch them through my sister’s window. I’ve even entered contests to name satellites. I’m sure Daniel’s senior class wasn’t that interested when I drug them to Johnson Space Center on their senior class trip. Too bad. I’ll never tire of seeing Space X’s boosters come back to earth, either!
It was no shock to my family when ten days ago, I sent out the group text that Artemis II was blasting off, then going to the dark side of the moon, then splashdown today. It’s a sense of pride and accomplishment and wonder and it doesn’t matter that I’ve had no actual part in any of it. I’m a witness to something spectacular and how often can you say that? Thanks, NASA (and others) for being inspirational and awe-inspiring all these years. You bring me goose bumps and tears and I’m better for it.
Find me here!
