We Have Lift-Off!

When I was younger, I wanted to be an astronaut. I read science fiction about space-bound heroes, read books and articles about the early space program and the race to the Moon, watched movies and documentaries on them as well. It was my dream.

Obviously, that dream didn't come true. But I've never forgotten that feeling or that desire to go where very few people have ever been. And it really isn't that far away; the International Space Station is only a couple of hundred kilometers up in the air. My parents live further away than that. Of course, horizontal travel is a bit easier than vertical over that distance.

Still, it was exciting to see the Space-X launch today, a launch that had been delayed due to weather a couple of days ago. I watched it live, and it was an exciting feeling, a thrill that I remember from watching Space Shuttle launches when I was a kid. Including the worst one, the Challenger lift-off in 1986. I saw that one live, too. Not a pleasant memory for a teenager dreaming of the stars.

But there was an aspect of this launch that I enjoyed even more: My son's reaction. He's twelve, and the last time there was a manned launch in North America, he was a toddler. So, for him, this was the equivalent of watching John Glenn lift-off, or watching the Eagle land on the Moon. We turned on the NASA livestream about half an hour before the launch, and he was riveted. He watched the interviews, the shots of the astronauts waiting for launch in the capsule, all of it. And as the countdown began, he was practically bouncing in his seat.

I've heard and read people talk about how this isn't a big deal, we did this fifty years ago, it doesn't mean anything, blah blah blah. Well, to that twelve-year-old boy, it meant the world. Literally. He watched that rocket fly up, saw it enter orbit, and watched the edge of the earth going by a couple of hundred kilometers below. He was riveted from start to finish.

When we're older, we forget the impact that seeing something for the very first time can have on a child. We're jaded, cynical, world-weary. Even the most upbeat, optimistic of us can forget that sense of wonder, of something beyond our limitations. That's when we need to see through the eyes of a child, a fresh perspective that can jolt us out of our complacency and same-old, same-old.

I wonder how many other kids watched that launch, a new generation of starry-eyed gazers. Maybe this will spur their interest in science and space exploration. Maybe they'll be watching documentaries about this launch and what it means for the future of space travel. Maybe one of them will be strapped into a launcher twenty years from now, taking the first steps on a long journey to Mars.

There's enough misery and anger in the world right now; it's time to look at something wonderful, awe-inspiring, and fantastic. Let's go explore the stars again.

In other news, The Devil's Playground is available in paperback format as well on Amazon! Check it out, and get your copy today!