space shuttle

In 1986, I was an extremely impressionable nine-year-old boy in the fourth grade. Like everyone my age at that time, I was obsessed with space. I loved Star Wars, E.T., and the Pigs In Space segment of The Muppet Show. I had NASA themed LEGO's, dressed up as Darth Vader for Halloween, and a poster of the Space Shuttle on my wall...

The Challenger tragedy changed not only NASA, but the entire space agency when it comes to safety. The cause of the accident was found to be defective O-rings. Do you remember where you were when it happened?

Last night, I was driving through a light misting of rain and noticed that the moon looked really cool as it came up through the clouds. Plus, since we are close to Halloween I imagined that this is what it looks like when the werewolves get anxious! As I was staring at the moon, something awesome was happening on the other side of the United States.

So many little kids answer astronaut when they're asked what they want to be when they grow up. Space exploration is something that many people are still in awe over. It's  always amazing to me when I realize we've been to the moon, and think of all of the discoveries we've made. Yet there are always costs and risks that go along with the exploration. A strong crew was lost in the  Challenger spac