The last shuttle flight

I lost interest in the U.S. crewed space program some years ago. I know this sounds a terrible thing to say, especially for someone whose natural curiosity about most things is quite high. But I can't help what I find compelling. I do or I don't. And when it comes to sending human beings into space at enormous cost to the taxpayer, it just doesn't pencil out for me. Send a machine.

That's why I was surprised to find myself so disappointed at not being able to see one of the fly-bys associated with taking each of the shuttles 'home' to their ultimate display locations. I've been sitting here trying to think why that should be and I think I've got it.

Trolling for a blog topic tonight, I came across plenty of violence and all sorts of titillation. But between the calls for jihad and the sly mentions of celebrity wardrobe malfunctions, the insane ranting of the extreme Right and Left, the two-headed animals and the video of the firestorm tornado (which I have to admit was kind of cool but I'm not sure it's news), a photo of the shuttle riding piggyback on its special 747 made me smile.

It doesn't matter that I would gladly have voted against much of NASA's funding had I been given the opportunity. What does matter, at least to me, was that my money was used in this case for something many of you consider fascinating and noble and worthwhile. And while I don't believe we need human flesh in orbit, I do value the basic science being accomplished in the space station.

There are so many things we do collectively that I don't support personally. But that's how it works in a representative democracy. We don't each get to vote on the use of every dollar. And that way, things get done.

I do value the National Parks but I know and respect people who don't and that's okay. We can argue all day about the National Endowment for the Arts or school lunch programs. I'm a big supporter of Weights and Measures, although I don't think I'd bother with their museum. What would one put in a National Museum of Weights and Measures, anyway?

But I do wish I'd seen that last piggyback shuttle flight. This was special. It was a difficult something we did together, well.