I don't know what provoked me to click on it and read it, maybe it was the word "Final". I found this strange because they couldn't actually mean the final, FINAL launch, could they? Well, that's exactly what it meant.
When I was a kid there was a certain wonder about being an astronaut. Often times you would hear kids say in class on career day, "When I grow up, I want to be an astronaut!" Of course it did not have the same resounding effect being an astronaut once had years before my time when the idea that men in space was something out of a comic book. Astronauts were seen as some type of super hero or mystical demi-god who possessed the power to leave the Earth we know and bounce up and down on the moon. By the time I sat in my elementary school class in the 80's being an astronaut still held a bit of clout. I mean, for those of us who remember, even MTV had a cool moon man jumping across your screen before your favorite music video.Well, much like MTV killed the radio (and video) star, we have now killed the space launch program. I'm not sure why this bothered me enough to inspire me to write about it but I guess it got me thinking. Human beings are so fickle. In a time where scientists somehow inserted "vitamins" in bread and called it Wonder Bread and high speed communication was limited to rotary phones and the U.S. Mail system space travel was a gargantuan human accomplishment. It was a HUGE deal. It was Americas shinny new toy. Kids loved the idea that somewhere up in the sky, not only was there a bird and a plane, but there was an American Astronaut floating in outer space looking down at them.
So why are we so fickle? Because technology now makes everything faster, better, smoother. Why would we want to see a huge, rickety, noisy, clunking machine that looks much like it did way back in the day roar to a start to take pictures we can easily see from the comfort of a lab with a high powered telescope that can download the info to the internet? Technology has killed technology. I don't think the men who started the space program would have ever thought they would be considered out of date! And yet, to some degree they are. We don't need to put any human at risk on an explosive with wings anymore. We can see what we need with satellites and such. We can see farther, do more and research more without ever having to leave our seats or worry about gravity. It was fun while the shinny new toy was the "it" toy, but now its collecting dust under Americas bed along with board games and your old Atari.
It's kinda sad, don't you think?
How is it that the space program was "struggling" in their budget thus making it difficult to keep going? How is it that parts of the shuttle seem to fly off or things go wrong on it thus delaying a launch or making it too dangerous to fly when we can develop more sophisticated video games that kids can play when they are 3? Today, for example, I witnessed a 2 year old playing with a TOY laptop that can actually receive email!!! And yet, we can't have a space launch without some part falling off and landing in someone's backyard. And the person who finds said part looks at it with bored expressions and yawns. I am the first to admit that I am not a card-carrying member of the Save the Shuttle team, but its sad that today is the last time anyone will ever say, "T minus 10, 9, 8..." when in relation to the shuttle.What is it about us as a society that gets bored so quickly, even about things that are amazing? We are always into moving on, letting go and tossing aside the thing that doesn't move as fast as we'd like it too. We are always on a constant search for the upgrade. This behavior trickles into everything in our lives. From old friends that can't keep up with our new lifestyles to relationships that are not compatible with our new "system". It seems like we are constantly looking for something new to play with at the risk of loosing something gargantuan. We sacrifice the things that we have now; things that have brought us joy, things that have taught us so much and things that have taken us to places we've never been before, for something that produces a new feeling of thrill. I've seen it everywhere.
Why go to the movies when I can download it onto my I-Pad and watch it while I wait in line at the grocery store? Why get out of the house in the sunshine to a park and exercise when I can sit on my couch and vigorously move my arms up and down to trick my Wii into thinking I'm moving and exercising? (C'mon, you can't say you haven't done that!) Why have a conversation and check on my friend who's been having a hard time when I can text them and have a conversation like this, "Wut up?" "Not Much" "U Gd?" "Yep" "K, ttyl".
We've lost our understanding and appreciation of the things
that once brought us wonder.
that once brought us wonder.
With the launch of this final shuttle mission I think a lot of things will be lost forever. Will kids ever grow up with the amazement of space shuttle in their eyes? Will kids like my niece and nephew ever really appreciate how amazing going into space really is, even if it was in that big, clunky machine? I wonder...and worry.
In closing I made a decision. I'm going to try to keep those things that I know are great in my life and "upgrade" myself. I'm going to try to leave well-enough alone but strive to make me into a better me. I'm going to appreciate the "old timers" in my life and try not to push a change that doesn't need to be there.
And finally, I'm going to say good bye to an American icon, the Space Shuttle, you may be out dated to some, but you will forever leave an impression on me. Good luck and Godspeed!
Space Shuttle Atlantis Final Take-Off, July 8, 2011
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