I want to start with a disclaimer. I am not going to talk about the crisis NASA is currently facing for the future, I just want to talk about the ending of the space shuttle era.

I was living in Clear Lake City one morning when my parents woke me up early to watch the inaugural launch of the space shuttle Columbia. I was in awe of the huge puffs of smoke and watching the solid rocket boosters separate from the orbiter. At the time I was under the age of ten and I didn't really fathom the magnitude of space travel.

I was lucky enough to attend one of the CCISD's elementary schools where there were several astronaut parents. I played basketball and soccer with children of astronauts. At least once a year the entire school would be treated to an astronaut visit complete with slide shows and cool NASA photographs handed out as we returned to space. I have friends in other parts of the country who are "space junkies" who can't believe that I live in a community where astronaut sightings are nothing unusual.

I was sitting in a 7th grade Texas History class when I can remember vividly our principal coming on the PA and announcing that Challenger had been lost. I remember that loss was very personal for a lot of kids my age because they were not I also clearly remember where I was when my mother in law called me to tell me Columbia had broken up on re-entry.

Also who doesn't get excited when Nasa flies an orbiter "piggyback" on the 747? I remember the first time I saw it, our street was having a block party. Since we were so close to Ellington, it seemed as if we could just reach up and touch it. When I was a student at Clear Lake High School I remember a particular fire drill that seemed to take a long time for them to sound the "all clear" signal. Suddenly everyone started cheering and as we looked up, we saw the brand new Endeavour flying piggyback overhead. I got to re-create that for my first grade students in December of 2008. They were so excited to see the space shuttle fly over our school on the back of an airplane.

When I was twenty, I was fortunate enough to attend a launch. We had a "car pass" which allowed us a little closer to the launch pad, but not near as close as the VIPs got to sit. I will never forget how from that particular angle the smoke basically engulfed the launch pad and then suddenly you see the whole stack clear the tower and rise above the smoke. A few moments later the rumble under my feet felt like an earthquake must feel. It sounded like a large popcorn popper. Then several minutes later we spotted the solid rocket boosters and their trails heading back towards the earth. It is something I know I will never forget. I only hope that the stars align for my own children to experience such a sight.

This current mission marked the last of the night launches. It is becoming clear that manned space flight as I have only known it is pretty much over. That leaves a lot of saddness in my heart as I really can't remember a time in my life when the space shuttles weren't flying. Here's hoping that it won't be long before America returns to space in some capacity.