With the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis tomorrow, it’s final mission into space to repair the hubble, it’s odd to be hearing all the talk on the news about the Space Shuttles being retired next year.  With only 9 missions left, it struck a chord with me and I decided to Google it.  Indeed, the space shuttle is being retired and replaced with a new space travel program with vehicles called Ares and Orion. 

I mention this only because Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour were a huge part of my childhood growing up.  I loved studying the planets in Science class and drawing models of them.  My grade school even had a Young Astronauts program devoted to all things space.  I remember the Challenger explosion in 1986, killing Christa McAuliffe who was to be the first teacher in space.  It was the first National tragedy I can remember.  And who can forget Columbia burning up during reentry back in 2003?

In 8th grade, a class member won a paper airplane throwing contest and the entire class got to visit the Space Museum in Huntsville Alabama.  It was the first time I’d ever been in an I-Max theater.  I remember buying up postcards just to have lots of nice pictures of the rockets and exhibits.  I remember the grave of the first monkey in space there.  And who can forget having a small space shuttle toy as a child and running through the house with it pretending I was in space?

So, like many things that have come and gone during my lifetime, it will just be odd to see the shuttle go.