My mother took me into the darkness of our back yard to show me the stars. She kneeled beside me and pointed out Cepheus, Cassiopeia, The Big and Little Dippers and the North Star. I was a very small boy. And I was enthralled.

Later, as an adult I found myself driving from Kansas City to Moab, Utah. Day turned to night as the long ride progressed. Early in the morning I watched the moon set over Grand Junction. A short time later I drove past Fisher Towers on a dark, deserted road.

I stopped the car, turned out the lights and stepped into the darkness. It was an amazing experience. I was surrounded my millions of stars. I realized that although the site was amazing there was something missing. I didn't know many of the stars. In fact they looked so different, so many of them, that I was lost in the heavens. It bugged me.

At the time I was attending the University of Utah. A few months later I had the opportunity to take an astronomy class. It was the most interesting and rewarding course I took during my college experience. By the end of the quarter I could identify every constellation on a blank star map, along with many of the stars and other objects.

Better, I could find many of these stars, constellations and objects in the night sky. It has been very satisfying to accompany my friends, family and others into the dark night to gaze at the heavens and navigate through the stars. It is somewhat unsettling to realize just how little most of us know about the universe around us.

With today's events I've had time to reflect. I'm old enough to have seen quite a bit.

I remember the lump in my throat and the hole in my heart as I watched and learned about the Apollo 1 tragedy. A fire during a pre-flight walkthrough took the lives of White, Grissom and Chaffee. I was ten at the time.

White was a particular hero of mine. He was the first person to walk in space on Gemini IV just 18 months earlier. His death hit me hard. I had a difficult time understanding why.

Three years later we all watched and prayed as Apollo 13 crept back to earth. I don't remember how long it took, but it was days. I was grateful when the crew returned safely.

Between these missions Armstrong filled all of us with wonder as he took his small step to the surface of the moon.

And on January 28, 1986 the Challenger made me cry again. I was standing in the Ogden City Mall in front of a Radio Shack. A co-worker and I were on our way to a sales call. We were a bit early and found a television to watch the shuttle lift off. We stared in disbelief as the events of that morning unfolded.

I also remember the day that I was at a conference in Florida in the early 1990s. A break was called so that we could all go into the parking lot to witness a shuttle launch. I was awed by the power and magnificence of watching the shuttle soar into the heavens. What amazing things we humans can do!

Today we are all saddened again. And we are left to ask why. I was inspired by the words of President Bush. What impressed me most is the simplicity in what he said. We could have written the speech. His message came as no surprise. The program will continue. Our desire to explore the universe around us is strong.

I don't want to detract from this sad day or dishonor the memory those who died. But I find this to be a day of celebration and hope. Our frustration with failure will not stop us in the future. We have not let success make us complacent in the past.

I'm proud to be an American. I'm proud and once again awed at our heritage. We are explorers. Some of the best among us are gone today. They touched our lives and we are better off because they are inseparably part of us.

We will venture into the heavens again. We will continue to explore. It is who we are. We should all realize that the differences that separate us must never become greater than the heritage that unites us.

Sadness? Yes. Pride in who we are? Definitely.

That's all for now........
9:51:32 PM    comment []