Just like old times

I belong to the generation that witnessed the space race live, up close and personal. The Astronauts were everyone's hero's. We followed every development in vehicle design and capsule development. I remember sitting in school and stopping whatever lesson we were learning to watch the launching and recovery of many space missions, starting with the Mercury missions. We cheered whenever a rocket roared off the pad. So very slowly at first then picking up speed, going faster and faster, disappearing on a column of white smoke. When we watched the mighty Saturn V vehicles rolling so very slowly out of the assembly building we were in awe (Yeah- they even televised the creeping movement of the rockets out to the pads).

After the moon landing, watching every mission dwindled away. We did watch the drama of Apollo 13 and had a TV on in every classroom (volume turned down) watching for the "Special Report" flash on the screen. When that happened everything stopped and the volume was turned up until the report ended. Gradually, we only watched a few things now and then and eventually, we stopped altogether.

Nowadays, no networks cover any launches unless there's a chance they can get film footage of an accident.

Today, I watched the launch of the Atlas V carrying the Pluto mission as it roared off the pad in Florida. Isn't the internet wonderful? They held several times (just like old times!) until they finally had enough blue sky. Then they picked up the count at T minus 4 minutes. Then they gave a "Go Atlas" and started the count. When they started the old, familiar "10, 9, 8, ...." it was almost like being a kid in school again.

The Atlas gather speed faster than the old Saturn V - at least it seemed so to me. But it still climbed, faster and faster, getting smaller and smaller, dwindling finally away into nothing. An absolutely flawless launch.

I wish today's children had the excitement of those old days....