Reflections on a past launch

As we approach the STS-131 Space Shuttle launch, I was moved to share something I wrote in October 2007 when we visited the Kennedy Space Center to view the STS-120 launch. 

The Final Frontier

Just across the water, I could see the Space Shuttle Discovery sitting on the launch pad.  Years ago, I watched a landing at Edwards Air Force base, but this was my first Space Shuttle launch.  We were guests of Astronaut Stephanie Wilson, a friend and former colleague of mine from our days on the Galileo mission to Jupiter.   Now she was flying on her second Space Shuttle mission.

I was here at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (“KSC”) with my wife Nikki and our sons, Kazuo and Eiji.  We were thrilled to be able to share this experience with them.  Kazuo, in particular, has already shown some interest in space. Eiji, for his part, is especially adept at spotting the moon, which he calls “La Luna”. 

We patiently waited as the launch countdown continued. There were hundreds of us out here, sitting on blankets on this narrow grass swath along the Indian river. We had a very clear view of the shuttle and the solid rocket boosters and liquid fuel tank as it sat motionless on the pad, poised to erupt.  It was hot. No shade. The kids were getting restless.

As we watched the crowd gather and mill around, we thought back to the reception we attended in Stephanie’s honor.  It was nice to meet many of her family members, but also friends from many parts of her life: a former teacher, friends from her hometown, colleagues from past projects, former classmates, etc.  We also met two other astronauts.  Kazuo must have noticed that every astronaut he has met is a woman, because he proclaimed: “Mommy, boys can be astronauts too!”

Because of the timing required to dock with the International Space Station, the launch window was only ten minutes long. We kept our fingers crossed as the countdown continued. Everything was a “GO” for the launch, as we approached lift-off.  The crowd was excited, and readied their cameras. I hit “record” on my video camera.  We’re getting close.  Nikki picked up Eiji and I grabbed Kazuo.  9 – 8 – 7 – 6 – 5 – 4 – 3 – 2  - 1 … And I gasped as a saw a big cloud of smoke.  “That’s it! It’s going!” The crowd cheered, as we all watched this huge spaceship defy gravity, slowing escaping the Earth.  I was mesmerized by the incredibly bright exhaust which seemed to sear into my retinas as the shuttle screamed into the sky.  And then we started to hear the deep and powerful rumbling of this giant, controlled explosion.  I momentarily reflected upon the beauty of physics, and this wonderful reminder of the relatively slow speed of sound as compared to the speed of light.  And then I thought about our friend Stephanie, hurdling into the heavens, soaring above us all.  Godspeed. 

We could just make out the moment when the solid rocket boosters separated from the shuttle and the crowd cheered more. We wept too, as we marveled at the human race, our amazing species, and what we can accomplish.

As for our own children, we can only wonder the amazing ways in which they too will soar. 



Originally published in the December 2007 Papas & Mamas Newsletter for Kodomo No Ie