The Flying Football Field

On previous occasions I have recommended that you look up, and tonight would have been a good time to do so. The International Space Station flew over and it was quite a sight to see! At 9:26 PDT here in Portland, the ISS went across the sky from horizon to horizon and it was reported to be the size of a football field. It is pretty hard to wrap your mind around that, especially if you’ve just had a brain readjustment. I was trying to picture the people on board going about their business in such a huge place out in space. What, I wonder, did the earth look like to them?

The shuttle Endeavor is also visible between now and early August. Here is the link I used to find out the times for sightings. Put in your own city. Here’s your chance to see your tax dollars flying around the sky. And ponder man’s insignificance in the overall scheme of the universe.

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/cities/view.cgi?country=United_States®ion=Oregon&city=Portland

It’s time to confess my secret dream of going into space. I just can’t think of anything more incredible than shooting off the earth in a cloud of smoke and flying off into the sky. If I were a millionaire, or if I won the lottery, I would sign up for sure. And even if it didn’t work out…what a way to go. I have always thought Krista McAuliffe had the most spectacular exit.