Back To Space.....

Landing Coming, Worried Furrow In Brow...

So, I've watched the briefings, the video, the live feeds, and seen most of the still images from the latest shuttle mission. Logging on twice a day. I'm wondering why they chose a landing time that is way before most of the people in this country are awake. Conspiracy? Could be? Keep us in the dark until the sun comes up.... Ok, I doubt it, and I don't think I'll get up for it.... wait until I log on in the morning...

I am still fascinated about the idea of space travel, and love the images that said space program provides. But the money..... the extravagance of it, at least in my lifetime.... Am I paying for the salvation of the planet, or escape from said planet when it's all worn out long after I am gone... could be it is my karmic debt to future generations for my sins of driving a fossil fuel guzzling 8 cylinder van, and liking air conditioning, and refrigeration, and well, plastic.

There are nine people speeding around the planet right now, two stay on the ISS... and hope the shuttle makes it. Otherwise it's back to Earth for them in a functional, yet small, Russian capsule.

As for the seven on their way back down, in a "truck" that had to have space dock repairs, they must be wondering if Monday is their lucky day? Wondering if the engineers and slide rule geeks can get them back down without a hitch, or if it's another one of those days when "opps" is the last thing someone onboard is heard to utter as the sky lights up with their fiery chariot to the other side....

I was thinking the other day about how few astronauts have been killed when you think about how many have gone up. Three in Apollo One before it even left the pad, and 14 on the two shuttle missions. There were, afterall, multiple Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Shuttle missions. Not a bad count, really.... I'm hoping we don't have to change those numbers on Monday.