The end of dreams

With the end of the Space Shuttle program so go the dreams and jobs of many. I was 13 when the shuttle first flew. I was home on the farm watching it on the CBC on our TV. I was used to the sluggish launches of the Apollo rockets and was a bit alarmed at the speed in which the shuttles took off. I thought something was wrong. Alas, all was well then and the future of space-faring looked bright. It was a beautiful machine and will be replaced by nothing for several years. Not on the NASA side of things. Private space-faring is drawing nigh. I'm not sure that's the best solution. I've blipped the CBC's website coverage of the final landing to bookend my experiences with the shuttle. I never got to see them fly but I did see Columbia and Challenger on the pads together in January of 1986. A few weeks later Challenger and crew were gone. In 2003, Columbia and crew were gone. Space flight is risky. But now Canada and the US must rely on the craft of other nations for the next several years. Where has the vision gone? Will the USA be able to afford to replace the shuttle given the economy and debt? Have we seen more than the end of the shuttle program? Will Canada have an astronaut program any more?

Feeling a bit better today but still quite under the weather. Stupifying, record-breaking heat for today for the Toronto area: 38°C/100°F, feels like 48°C/118°F or thereabouts is not helping me recover quickly.

Yesterday's blip: Green bottle fly and its shadow