Space Shuttle Piggyback over the desert
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| Space Shuttle Enterprise February 1977 Photo credit: NASA (Public domain) |
The Space Shuttle Enterprise flying piggyback atop a highly modified Boeing 747 across an empty stretch of desert: a remarkable site to behold from the air or ground. A kindergartner at West Boron Elementary School looking up from the playground, seeing this, garnered an impression to last.
The Space Shuttle program inspired millions. The costs of the program were staggering. The tragic loss of life from Columbia STS-107 and Challenger STS-51-L were too much to bear and the program shut down. Those of us near the landing grounds, in the desert around Edwards Air Force Base, watched mostly silent. We were not tuned for the extravagance of Earth-shaking force, the awesome sight of Shuttle launches taking place a continent away. We favored more the contemplative experience, consideration for delicacies of a glide, subtle aerodynamics, descent from beyond, through brutal atmosphere threatening certain incineration. A desperate return to the land of tortoises and sage.
Ice Moon Station will publish more on the Space Shuttle in future posts.
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