Shuttle Endeavor Lights Up the Sky

Endeavour lifted off from Florida just a few minutes ago, on its way to the International Space Station. Apparently, it’s taking the Extreme Makeover: Space Station Improvement crew along with it because it’s carrying an additional sleeping quarters, a second toilet (Umm…they only had one? That had to get awkward), some exercise equipment, a new galley, all in a whopping huge module called the “Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo”.

Yeah, I know what you might say. The shuttle is overpriced and old. It doesn’t give very good performance for its cost. We can build more reliable spacecraft far more cheaply and fly them more often. But still, every time I see a shuttle reaching toward the skies on a humongous pillar of fire, the ten year old kid inside me jumps up and down and hollers “WHOOOOOOOOO!!” For all its faults, the shuttle is still an amazing testament to our far-reaching spirit and our sense of adventure.

God speed, guys, and come home safe.

Other Posts of Interest:

• So Long and Thanks for All the Science!
• Cool Space Stuff – Lightning on Saturn

Tags: Endeavour, International Space Station, NASA, space exploration, Space Shuttle

Category: Out in the Black, Rampant Geekery