09/18/11 - DVCers Take Over the Dream (S.S. Member Cruise 2011) - Thread #8

[TIGGERmetoo]

Good Nite Nancy

 

[Truffle]

I'm very sad right now. The vast majority of my life has been lived in the space era. The dread that the Soviets launching of Sputnik caused, especially with the Cuban missile crisis so close on the heels of that accomplishment made our lives a bit interesting. The disappointment of Yuri Gargarin being the first man to orbit the Earth instead of an American. The excitement from John Glenn being the first American to orbit the planet that we call home was so thrilling to me that I can't describe how wonderful that was to a 9 year old boy.

The Cuban missile crisis hit many of us in that area pretty hard, and was the cause of my initial interest in geography. I learned that we were right on the path between Havana and Washington DC, AND surrounded by some of the most critical military bases in the nation. If they fired a rocket at the Pentagon or Washington, DC, and it was short a bit, there we were. If they wanted to wreak havoc with the Navy, Air Force, and Marines, there we were. We did "duck and cover" drills weekly, IIRC. To put some of this timeline in perspective, I spent most of my childhood around the Naval bases of the Norfolk, Virginia area. I can't even begin to list all of the Army bases around there: Fort Belvoir, Fort Lee, Fort Eustis, Fort Monroe, are just some of the ones I remember. We had the Norfolk Naval Station, NAS Oceana, Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Langley Airforce Base, and Wallops Island Flight Facility which was where the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (Forerunner of NASA) launched a lot of test rockets. Many of those tests were visible from our house, at least once they got above the tree line. One can't help but be fairly patriotic with all that military presence and hardware around.

So, enough background for now; back to my note...

We were able to see many launches from Wallops Island, and then the Mercury program got us up into space. That was cool as can be, but wait! Gemini was to follow! YES!! Send up 2 people in every mission! Way cool! That, of course, was followed by the Apollo missions including the landing on the moon. Now, in the midst of all that were all the satellite launches, and the Mariner missions, Explorer missions, Viking missions, and Pioneer missions! Whew! Actual pictures of other planets sent back here for us to see and study was just too good to be true. Then there was Skylab. Wow! A whole station that could just orbit the earth while people could stay there, do experiments, and study stuff literally out of this world. The mind boggled with the possibilities! Nineteen years after John Glenn made his first 3 orbits of the earth, the STS-1 (Columbia) was the first of the Space Shuttles. What an amazing progression! And in a fairly short time when you think about it. So, in my life, there has been solid examples of space growth, exploration, and a logical progression of getting more people up there.

Today, STS- 135 (Atlantis) was the last shuttle mission to be sent up, and there are no more missions on the table, of any American humans going up again. What will the youngsters of today dream of, see happen, and get to reflect upon when they hit my age? What will give them hope like we had? What promises to become so much a part of their lives like that which ignited all of our imaginations like the space program did? Where do rocket scientists go when there are no more rockets to plan for? Will we see engineers trained in astrophysics working as greeters at Walmart? Will we have children growing up with nothing to look at other than more wars and fear of nuclear holocaust?

At least we had something positive, exciting, and new to look forward to and dream about when we were faced with those errant missiles from Cuba and all those "duck and cover" drills.

 

[TIGGERmetoo]

Sleep well Terri!

(the rest of us will get the /)

I said ALMOST bedtime.

 

[Truffle]

I am heading there now. I know that I did not make my 17 posts today, but I haven't made any up till now, so I am already way behind!

Whoever it was that said for a short week it was really long, got it right.....for me it was awful! So I am heading off to sleep....well I probably have to kill a few birds first...but off to sleep soon after that.

Talk to everyone tomorrow where I hope I can post my tie dye pictures. After meeting with the pottergeek at the pottermeet!
Night!!!

Good night, Nancy! See you tomorrow! Try a BB gun to kill off those birds. Much more quiet than a gunpowder gun!

 

[Truffle]

Or a slingshot. They are quiet too... But not as accurate, IMO!

 

[M & N Potter]

Good night, Nancy! See you tomorrow! Try a BB gun to kill off those birds. Much more quiet than a gunpowder gun!

Dan ... you do understand that you are the pottergeek? Don't you?

 

[Truffle]

Okay, lurkers... We are at 2386 or so; time to get ready!

 

[friends with mickey]

I'm very sad right now. The vast majority of my life has been lived in the space era. The dread that the Soviets launching of Sputnik caused, especially with the Cuban missile crisis so close on the heels of that accomplishment made our lives a bit interesting. The disappointment of Yuri Gargarin being the first man to orbit the Earth instead of an American. The excitement from John Glenn being the first American to orbit the planet that we call home was so thrilling to me that I can't describe how wonderful that was to a 9 year old boy.

The Cuban missile crisis hit many of us in that area pretty hard, and was the cause of my initial interest in geography. I learned that we were right on the path between Havana and Washington DC, AND surrounded by some of the most critical military bases in the nation. If they fired a rocket at the Pentagon or Washington, DC, and it was short a bit, there we were. If they wanted to wreak havoc with the Navy, Air Force, and Marines, there we were. We did "duck and cover" drills weekly, IIRC. To put some of this timeline in perspective, I spent most of my childhood around the Naval bases of the Norfolk, Virginia area. I can't even begin to list all of the Army bases around there: Fort Belvoir, Fort Lee, Fort Eustis, Fort Monroe, are just some of the ones I remember. We had the Norfolk Naval Station, NAS Oceana, Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Langley Airforce Base, and Wallops Island Flight Facility which was where the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (Forerunner of NASA) launched a lot of test rockets. Many of those tests were visible from our house, at least once they got above the tree line. One can't help but be fairly patriotic with all that military presence and hardware around.

So, enough background for now; back to my note...

We were able to see many launches from Wallops Island, and then the Mercury program got us up into space. That was cool as can be, but wait! Gemini was to follow! YES!! Send up 2 people in every mission! Way cool! That, of course, was followed by the Apollo missions including the landing on the moon. Now, in the midst of all that were all the satellite launches, and the Mariner missions, Explorer missions, Viking missions, and Pioneer missions! Whew! Actual pictures of other planets sent back here for us to see and study was just too good to be true. Then there was Skylab. Wow! A whole station that could just orbit the earth while people could stay there, do experiments, and study stuff literally out of this world. The mind boggled with the possibilities! Nineteen years after John Glenn made his first 3 orbits of the earth, the STS-1 (Columbia) was the first of the Space Shuttles. What an amazing progression! And in a fairly short time when you think about it. So, in my life, there has been solid examples of space growth, exploration, and a logical progression of getting more people up there.

Today, STS- 135 (Atlantis) was the last shuttle mission to be sent up, and there are no more missions on the table, of any American humans going up again. What will the youngsters of today dream of, see happen, and get to reflect upon when they hit my age? What will give them hope like we had? What promises to become so much a part of their lives like that which ignited all of our imaginations like the space program did? Where do rocket scientists go when there are no more rockets to plan for? Will we see engineers trained in astrophysics working as greeters at Walmart? Will we have children growing up with nothing to look at other than more wars and fear of nuclear holocaust?

At least we had something positive, exciting, and new to look forward to and dream about when we were faced with those errant missiles from Cuba and all those "duck and cover" drills.

Nice post, just think how all of us in Space City, the home of Nasa feel. I wish all of the very talented and dedicated people involved with the program the best as they will be looking for new employment very soon.

 

[TIGGERmetoo]

 

[friends with mickey]

Okay, lurkers... We are at 2386 or so; time to get ready!

Oficially not lurking, just got on the computer.

 

[TIGGERmetoo]

Thanks for the heads up, Dan.

 

[Truffle]

Doin' my part...

 

[TIGGERmetoo]

Oficially not lurking, just got on the computer.

Hi!

 

[M & N Potter]

I'm very sad right now. The vast majority of my life has been lived in the space era. The dread that the Soviets launching of Sputnik caused, especially with the Cuban missile crisis so close on the heels of that accomplishment made our lives a bit interesting. The disappointment of Yuri Gargarin being the first man to orbit the Earth instead of an American. The excitement from John Glenn being the first American to orbit the planet that we call home was so thrilling to me that I can't describe how wonderful that was to a 9 year old boy.

The Cuban missile crisis hit many of us in that area pretty hard, and was the cause of my initial interest in geography. I learned that we were right on the path between Havana and Washington DC, AND surrounded by some of the most critical military bases in the nation. If they fired a rocket at the Pentagon or Washington, DC, and it was short a bit, there we were. If they wanted to wreak havoc with the Navy, Air Force, and Marines, there we were. We did "duck and cover" drills weekly, IIRC. To put some of this timeline in perspective, I spent most of my childhood around the Naval bases of the Norfolk, Virginia area. I can't even begin to list all of the Army bases around there: Fort Belvoir, Fort Lee, Fort Eustis, Fort Monroe, are just some of the ones I remember. We had the Norfolk Naval Station, NAS Oceana, Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Langley Airforce Base, and Wallops Island Flight Facility which was where the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (Forerunner of NASA) launched a lot of test rockets. Many of those tests were visible from our house, at least once they got above the tree line. One can't help but be fairly patriotic with all that military presence and hardware around.

So, enough background for now; back to my note...

We were able to see many launches from Wallops Island, and then the Mercury program got us up into space. That was cool as can be, but wait! Gemini was to follow! YES!! Send up 2 people in every mission! Way cool! That, of course, was followed by the Apollo missions including the landing on the moon. Now, in the midst of all that were all the satellite launches, and the Mariner missions, Explorer missions, Viking missions, and Pioneer missions! Whew! Actual pictures of other planets sent back here for us to see and study was just too good to be true. Then there was Skylab. Wow! A whole station that could just orbit the earth while people could stay there, do experiments, and study stuff literally out of this world. The mind boggled with the possibilities! Nineteen years after John Glenn made his first 3 orbits of the earth, the STS-1 (Columbia) was the first of the Space Shuttles. What an amazing progression! And in a fairly short time when you think about it. So, in my life, there has been solid examples of space growth, exploration, and a logical progression of getting more people up there.

Today, STS- 135 (Atlantis) was the last shuttle mission to be sent up, and there are no more missions on the table, of any American humans going up again. What will the youngsters of today dream of, see happen, and get to reflect upon when they hit my age? What will give them hope like we had? What promises to become so much a part of their lives like that which ignited all of our imaginations like the space program did? Where do rocket scientists go when there are no more rockets to plan for? Will we see engineers trained in astrophysics working as greeters at Walmart? Will we have children growing up with nothing to look at other than more wars and fear of nuclear holocaust?

At least we had something positive, exciting, and new to look forward to and dream about when we were faced with those errant missiles from Cuba and all those "duck and cover" drills.

I had forgotten about watching the launches from Wallops Island. But I do remember the Alan Shepard Expo center in Virginia Beach.

 

[friends with mickey]

I did not realize there were so many racing fans on the member cruise.

 

[Truffle]

The post count numbers just got screwy again.

 

[M & N Potter]

Just cruising along ...

 

[friends with mickey]

Doing my best as well. The book ends are calling me

 

[M & N Potter]

 

[Truffle]