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NASA – Memorials

There are some sad postings for memorials at the NASA website this week. The Apollo 1, Challenger, and the upcoming Columbia anniversaries are all this week. Although I was not around for Apollo, my childhood is framed around the era of the Space Shuttle.

GCB

The interest in space was instilled by my father. He was an architect, which would discuss engineering, design, and accomplishments of the space program. I had models of the shuttle on the back of a Boeing 747 as a background for many photos. I wish I could find one right now. We never made it to a launch in Florida, but we did visit the Kennedy Space Center on family vacations. I still have 2 space shuttle launches on VHS tape in the archive – the NBC coverage of STS-6 when Sally Ride became the first American woman in space, and STS-8 the first night launch of the shuttle.

He would explain to me the technical aspects of launching – how the boosters would be used for only part of the launch, then fall back to earth, and how the shuttle would fly with it’s bay doors open, then glide back to earth like a airplane. In a time well-before the internet, he provided me with books, magazines, and all the information I could want on the space program. We went to Dulles airport in 1985 when the Enterprise was delivered prior to display at the Air & Space Museum. It would be almost 20 years until the aircraft would be displayed at the new museum in Chantilly, VA.

NASA Delivery

Last year, the Enterprise was being replaced at the museum by Discovery. It would be flown in just as in 1985 with flyovers giving the public many chances to see it before landing. It was a beautiful morning, and the views were perfect to see this marvelous machine as it retires. This was a personal memorial for my father who gave me an appreciation for the Space Shuttle program and astronauts and engineers that gave us pride in our resourcefulness and imagination. If he was still with us, I’m sure he would have been out there shooting a camera with me.

I had a quick short video of my shoot from that day – Waiting For Discovery

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