Cool things

It is really cool how far we have come technologically speaking.

For instance, last night I stepped outside on our back patio and watched the ISS fly overhead. First of all, it is a huge piece of equipment orbiting our planet, and getting all of those pieces up there has been an amazing feat of its own. Secondly, the fact that we can now pinpoint to the almost exact second when one can step out is almost unreal. All one has to do is go to www.heavens-above.com and input your location, and look for the next pass. Here this giant structure, and now with Shuttle Atlantis docked, goes screaming by our eyes at a blistering 17,000 mph, at 200 miles above...amazing. Even more amazing then all of this is the fact that we would see none of it if God gives us cloud cover. All the tracking, planning, and straining our necks is for nothing if there is a low over cast.

As we near the 50th anniversary of our first artificial satellite in orbit, Sputnik, the best we could do then was pick up the radio transmission. Now we can almost see the activities in real-time on board the station, or shuttle. We can pull up a website and find the location, altitude and speed of the ISS. Of course, thanks to the pioneers of space, we can listen to satellite radio, geocache, watch 24/7 news or see what the weather in Hawaii looks like. We can download the Astronomy Photo Of the Day, call loved one's overseas or find out what Pluto really is.

Pretty cool things.

~N

An important week

Well this was a very important, and historical week.

(Important) Austin turned 12, which is really to say this is his last year as a pre-teen. Soon he'll be in his teenage years, asking for a car or at least wanting to drive one, finishing school and then off to college. Wow, time really seems to fly by. Happy birthday again, Austin.

I popped in on him on Monday to check out the flight school that he has been participating in. What an incredible program Pearson Museum has set up for kids. A small room full of Microsoft Flight Simulators, all equipped with yokes, rudder pedals and headphones. The instructors are hustling around helping the kids learn how they are supposed to navigate, what altitude to fly at, and speeds for landing. Where was this when I was 12?!

(Historical) Another event occurred during this week, historically speaking, that changed the face of the 2nd World War. D-Day. 6, June, 1944-I've read a book about D-Day and all the planning, tactics, contributions by the many nations and their citizens. It was a huge step in ridding the world of the filth that was Hitler and his Nazi war machine. I heard an interesting audio clip from our then president Franklin Roosevelt. Here is a link to that clip, about 6 minutes long. The Allies ended up loosing about 2,500 soldiers that day...one day, in 1944. I wonder how many Americans thought it wasn't worth it? I don't question it at all.

~N