I watch and wait for every space flight. This is my nature, I love the sky, I love life, I love flight incredibly. Back in the early 1980's, I took my future wife to see the return to space of Space shuttle Flight no. 9. I wanted so bad to go there, and we did, now it seems so long ago.
Today, I was very aware that Atlantis was soon to arrive back on earth, most likely at my favorite aircraft stomping ground of Edwards Air Force Base in California (I was not sure exactly when they would really "pull the trigger" on Edwards, but I knew those guys out there would be "lit"). As I was getting ready to park my car while preparing to spend lunch with my wife here, near our home, we experienced a sudden thumping sound...purcussion. I thought maybe we had been struck, or maybe a failure in the car itself...but I could not locate any such thing. I then stepped out of the car and asked my sweet wife, "The shuttle is coming to Edwards today, you said... right?" My wife had just listened to the news, and she seemed to know the current status, but said, "I am not sure".
... I said, "I hear a car alarm, and I know the shuttle sound...that was the space shuttle". We then stepped immediately into the restaurant, and lo and behold...on the TV screen inside...a SPACE SHUTTLE landing in progress on the news!
Home and safe! YAY!
We felt the wings of spaceflight coming home. I understand from my kids that the house shook, and the doors were thumping. That is great, great news! What a day it was!
When I was much younger, the breaking of the sound barrier (as was the shuttle noise today) was much more common around here, with so many aircraft and air bases happening. We had the great, great X-15, secret Blackbirds, etc. It was marvelous, but very unnerving when the windows almost shattered.
I cherish, I truly love and enjoy every second. there is much more to this story, but I must stop for now.
--Dan L.
4 comments:
Wow Dan, what an incredible experience!
It's amazing how far we've come along in the space program - yet it was almost 40 years ago when man set foot on the moon...
We have the odd F18 fly up and down our valley and the Canadian Snowbirds often pass through on their way to and from different shows.
It always gives me goosebumps!
I remember sitting in 8th grade and the principal coming over the intercom announcing that the shuttle had exploded. It's amazing to me that there are people brave enough to board that thing.
Hi Dan,
What an amazing feeling that must have been, to actually feel it. As for those who go up in those things, and those who went before them, brave is the word.
Have you ever seen the film "The Dish"? It's about the moon landing, but more specifically about the team at the Parkes radio telescope / receiver in New South Wales which NASA enlisted to relay communications from Apollo 11 and the TV pictures from the landing. (Honeysuckle Creek, in the Northern hemisphere, was the station which relayed the transmissions when Parkes was out of range, and vice versa). It's very Australian in flavour, with some nice gentle humour, but it does evoke the excitement and the era very well. Try to dig it out on DVD if you can.
Great pics with your Dad on your last post Dan.
Did you ever want to be a pilot, or join the military to do so.? My Dad loved all this stuff too.
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