Celebrating the dreams and realities of spaceflight in the past, present, and retro-future. New posts Wednesday-Friday.

Seven years.

It’s hard to believe I witnessed this launch—my very first shuttle launch—seven years ago. (Not from the above vantage point, obviously.) Truthfully, it’s hard to believe I saw it at all. I never stop feeling amazed, and humbled, and so fortunate to have been there. I remember the launch as a whole-body sensation: the vibrations from the ground to the top of my head, and the crazy crackling sounds. The raw emotion. It was a beautiful thing.