Saying goodbye to space shuttle; concerned about jobs for NASA families

It seemed to take forever for the divers to open the door and give the thumbs up that all was well. The president spoke to the astronauts via telephone as they remained in a type of isolation/reorientation place. Next we went to the shuttle carrying more men and women into space and eventually joining with other countries to build a space station.

To our amazement this craft landed like an airplane on a runway and we watched the crew disembark as soon as the vehicle stopped. Wow! There were some tragedies along the way but the knowledge we gained was amazing. Even those we lost would still praise NASA for the entire program and none of us who lived through the years of space exploration will ever forget them or their sacrifice.

Today the world watched the very last shuttle hurtle into the clouds. It was a bittersweet moment especially for those of us who have lived near Cape Kennedy for many years.

I have watched the launches from my yard and felt the delayed rumble as it made its way to my area. When I was working everyone who could ran outside and watched the shuttles go up. The most spectacular launches came at night. It is not a sight one can describe. It had to be seen in person.

My aunt anduUncle came one year from Connecticut and we took them to a restaurant very near the launch pad. We had to force my uncle to bring his camera because he was convinced he wouldn’t get any pictures in the dark of night.

As the shuttle lit up the sky he flew outside and snapped as fast as he could while thanking us profusely for making him bring the camera. They were blown away by the magnificence of that launch. A couple of weeks later I asked when we would get copies of those pictures and he admitted sheepishly that he had forgotten to put film in the camera so there were no pictures. He is still living that one down.

I feel sad that it is over. I feel sad for all the people who will be losing their jobs.

The town of Titusville and surrounding cities and towns workers carpooled from will be lost without these launches because of the people unemployed by the end of this era.

Hopefully, NASA will carry on and all the talented scientific minds don’t move away. None of us knows what comes next, but all of us who grew up with space as a very big part of our lives have high hopes that a new program will start up quickly and allow this area to maintain its status quo.

Hopefully, NASA will carry on and all the talented scientific minds don’t move away. None of us knows what comes next, but all of us who grew up with space as a very big part of our lives have high hopes that a new program will start up quickly and allow this area to maintain its status quo.

I look forward to our next innovation to continue the exploration of galaxies far, far away.

Darlene Vann, July 8, 2011