Future Endeavours

This morning Ava, Liam and I watched the final launch of the space shuttle Endeavour. 

I tuned into the NASA channel on cable.  The crew had already made their way into the shuttle.  We watched the countdown from 10 minutes to launch.  Ava seemed very interested in the whole process.  I told her about the control center in Houston, how the different arms would move out of the way so the shuttle could launch.  Liam didn't seem as interested, and was pretty busy playing with a vehicle of some sort.  :-)


Ava crawled up into my lap.  I asked her if she thought the astronauts were scared.  She said she thought they were.  I told her that they have practiced SO MANY YEARS for this trip.  I told her I thought they might be scared, but practiced so much that they knew exactly what to do, prayed that God would keep them safe and then followed the directions of the Command Center.  It was definitely a teachable moment... I told her that the crew had to follow directions because their lives depended on it.  I snapped a few pictures of them watching the launch. 


This was the last launch of Shuttle Endeavour.  I read that the Endeavour was built to replace the Space Shuttle Challenger, which was lost in a launch accident in 1986.  I remember watching the Challenger with my class at school, as it launched and then exploded.  I remember praying with my classmates, with my teacher leading the prayer, for the families of the astronauts lost in the tragedy.  Schools have definitely changed since then!  I was thankful to see a glitch-free launch today, and remembered those on the Challenger who lost their lives. 


Ava has been so fascinated with the planets and space lately, I thought she would really enjoy watching the launch. I told her that the astronauts would see the world like we've seen it in books, because they would be far enough away to view most of it. When she saw the guys working in the Command Center, she asked "Mom, are those the guys who control the shuttle?"  She seemed to appreciate watching.


A woman flying from NJ to Florida actually took a picture of the shuttle from the window of her Delta flight.  You can see the shuttle after it has broken through a shelf of clouds, as it climbs higher into the sky.

Peace, love and one Starry-Starry Night,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam