Last Train to the Stars

I've been a little sad for the last few weeks leading up to today. Not steadily, but enough. When I lived in Florida, Cape Canaveral was just a stone's throw away. I'd always intended to see one of the Space Shuttle launches, but for whatever reason, I never got around to it. Now I never will.

July 8, 2011. The Space Shuttle Atlantis, STS-135 is the last shuttle into space.

Maybe I'm being overly sentimental, but the exploration of Space represents the best of humanity. It is the pinnacle of all we hope to achieve, the symbol for what we can do with determination, ingenuity and faith.

Seeing it end is a crushing blow.

There's certainly more important things for the US to do with it's money, such as paying off our massive debt. Yet I'd hate to see this as the end.

I've heard some talk about NASA having a future if we privatize space exploration. I don't fully understand how that works, but I support it. Federal space exploration is no longer a viable option.

The only way to achieve greatness, is to reach for it. Maybe someday we'll see the stars again.