and we have LIFT OFF!!

After the rain, came the sun... and the heat!  So it must be summer!  It sure does look pretty but it sure is hot.  Not complaining, really, that's why I moved to Florida.

This morning there was a rocket launch.  It just doesn't get old.  It takes the rocket a little bit longer to clear the trees, than the shuttle.  I'm not sure why; whether it was because it was such a heavy load or what but it's still exciting.  The sun was so strong and bright it was hard to see.  You see the plume first and just a fire dot headed for the top of the sky.  For a bit, there's no sound until the roar and rumble... it's always a thrill that I guess you'd have to experience yourself.

Every child should experience... and every adult.  Oh, the places you'll go!!  To dream of space, to know the advancements in all different technology space exploration has made.  The experiments done on the International Space Station (ISS) and their benefits to our lives.   The food has gotten much better since the beginning too.

It's a shame we couldn't keep the space program going until the next vehicle was ready.  I can see both sides but it's a shame.  It bothers me to depend on Russia and pay a ticket of nearly 63 million dollars per seat (source).  It's a  shame that during the wind down of the program so many people and businesses, that depended on the program, moved away.  It did a number to the town. 

But there are flickers of hope.  Main Street in the Historic District has been revitalized and prettied up.  New roads, new trees and pretty flowers.  They were out there today re-mulching the flower beds.  Wish my gardens looked that good.  Businesses are moving into what were empty store fronts and the mall vacancies are slowly finding life.  It's been a slow go but a flicker of hope is better than the dispare that hung like a cloud.

There is such a history tied to space exploration here.  Space View Park is a wonderful park to walk around, documenting each program and memorials to those lost in the pursuit to reach beyond the stars.

So, with every Delta rocket launch and every SpaceX Dragon launch, there is hope.  With every other private company working on a transporter, there is hope.

Have a good night!  and dream BIG!!