Men weren't meant to ride with clouds between their knees

When I saw Superman 2 there was a scene on the moon where a space mission was going on.

At one point Mission Control was talking about how the public doesn't even care anymore that the astronauts are up there because they missions were so common anymore.

I thought was was ridiculous because at the time whenever a Space Shuttle went up, it was carried live and was a huge deal. I loved watching every launch and I cheered when the shuttle came gliding back to earth.

Flash forward to today: I just found out there was a Shuttle up in space. I didn't even know about it. It is a pretty important mission. The Shuttle Columbia contains Israel's first astronaut and there is also a special pressurized laboratory where they will conduct 16 days of experiments.

I guess it is the inner child in me that is disappointed that this sort of thing merits only a :10 sound bite these days. I never thought I'd see the day.

Anyway, there is a chance you can see the shuttle from your backyard. Find the coordinates here. You can also track the Shuttle and Space Station in real-time.

Further Reading:
Official N.A.S.A. Space Shuttle Web Site
Nitpickers Guide to Superman II

file this under TV & Movies
Posted by on January 27, 2003 @ January 27, 2003 10:20 AM    
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