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Posted by Rifleman to the NASASpaceflight forum's SpaceX section, with permission. Gives one hope for the future
I have a new "best spaceflight moment tonight".
When SpaceX flew COTS2/3, I was up late watching it with my then newborn daughter sitting on my lap, as she refused to sleep, and it was my turn to be up with her. When the dragon spread its solar wings, and the cheers of the SpaceX team were audible over the commentators line, I was as excited as I had ever been during a manned launch. After that mission, reflecting upon the fact that a private company had just sent a freighter to the space station, I was excited that when the next big leap in our conquest of space occurred, the infant that was sitting in my arms might be able to appreciate it as well.
Fast forward to tonight. My now almost 4 year old daughter is sitting on my lap, counting out loud as the clock nears T-0. After the excitement of blast off, she nervously asks me if this one is going to blow up like the last one did (she has a sharp memory, especially for her age). I tell her that I hope not, and that if everything goes perfectly right, this rocket may even come back and land. As the Falcon made its final decent, my wife and I are holding our breath in nervous anticipation, and my daughter yells out to the computer screen "come on rocket, you can do it!". When the booster touched down, all three of us were cheering as loud as the SpaceX team on the live feed. When I tucked my daughter into bed tonight, she told me that when she gets big, she wants to build rockets that can land like that Falcon.
SpaceX made the solar system a slightly smaller place tonight, but they also inspired the next generation of engineers to carry on mankinds exploration of space. What a great way to wrap up 2015.
When SpaceX flew COTS2/3, I was up late watching it with my then newborn daughter sitting on my lap, as she refused to sleep, and it was my turn to be up with her. When the dragon spread its solar wings, and the cheers of the SpaceX team were audible over the commentators line, I was as excited as I had ever been during a manned launch. After that mission, reflecting upon the fact that a private company had just sent a freighter to the space station, I was excited that when the next big leap in our conquest of space occurred, the infant that was sitting in my arms might be able to appreciate it as well.
Fast forward to tonight. My now almost 4 year old daughter is sitting on my lap, counting out loud as the clock nears T-0. After the excitement of blast off, she nervously asks me if this one is going to blow up like the last one did (she has a sharp memory, especially for her age). I tell her that I hope not, and that if everything goes perfectly right, this rocket may even come back and land. As the Falcon made its final decent, my wife and I are holding our breath in nervous anticipation, and my daughter yells out to the computer screen "come on rocket, you can do it!". When the booster touched down, all three of us were cheering as loud as the SpaceX team on the live feed. When I tucked my daughter into bed tonight, she told me that when she gets big, she wants to build rockets that can land like that Falcon.
SpaceX made the solar system a slightly smaller place tonight, but they also inspired the next generation of engineers to carry on mankinds exploration of space. What a great way to wrap up 2015.
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