Rockets and Astronauts

Believe it or not, there are still some things in this world that make me stand back and say, "wow!" Even though our world presents us with so many new things, so many new technologies that boggle our minds, there are still a few human feats that capture our imagination in a tremendous way. For me, still, there is absolutely nothing like seeing a rocket-fueled shuttle filled with humans, explode from the earth on a collision course with the heavens. I mean, come on! How awesome is that!

Today though it seems as if our space explorations and NASA in general have taken a back seat in the public mind. How many of us even knew that we sent another shuttle crew up the other day, its mission to rendevous with the International Space Station miles above our heads. Yes, there is a space station with men and women on it, floating out in space. Again, incredible. Unfortunately, it seems that the only attention NASA ever recieves is linked with tragedy. So what happened? What happened to the final frontier for us Americans?

Are the missions to boring? Is it time for us to head to Mars? Am I sounding like a total BattleStar Gallatica geek? (which I'm not for the record) All I know is..
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When you see these pictures. When you watch a launch live, or even on TV, and the orange light show that erupts beneath the seats of 7 astronauts, shooting them into space, you can't help but still find your jaw on the floor in amazement wondering...How can we do this? How did we figure this out?

We all know there are some things in life that make us feel like a kid again. You all have yours whatever they may be. For me, seeing a rocket fly into space, still makes me want to eat my ice cream cone and tug on my daddy's arm.