:: Narrow-minded simpleton ::

:: Monday, February 03, 2003 ::

 
Oh, no. It's happened again.

Those were some of my first thoughts as I heard of the Space Shuttle Columbia's breakup.

You see, I worked for NASA from 1985-1989 and I saw Challenger happen right before my very eyes as I stepped outside my office that cold January morning in 1986.

Now, "my Bird," Columbia, is gone. Broken apart by aerodynamic stresses. 7 human beings gone. 7 people who had reached for the stars have died.

Columbia, OV-102, was "my Bird," as I was the lead engineer for Orbiter Mechanisms in the last part of my career at NASA. My Lockheed counterpart and I were responsible for checking out the payload bay doors, landing gear, crew hatch and other parts of Columbia that were driven by electromechanical mechanisms to insure they were ready for the next mission.

Now, she's gone.

Astronaut families are grieving. The NASA family is grieving. Americans are grieving. Israel is grieving. India is grieving.

I am grieving.

Pray for the Astronaut families and the NASA family. Be aware that life is precious and it can end unexpectedly. Hug your children. Repair relationships with family members. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Reach for the stars.

:: Julie 2/03/2003 10:14:00 AM [+] ::
...