Small Steps and Giant Leaps

I just watched the moon landing as it aired on TV 40 years ago today. Later tonight I'll watch those historic first steps. You can also watch lots of great footage at wechoosethemoon.org and see 40 selected pictures from the Apollo program at Boston.com. And of course, NASA has a lot of great links celebrating the 40th anniversary.

You know, I used to want to be an astronaut. I lived and breathed space travel up until I caught the violin bug (sometime in 8th or 9th grade) and decided to try being a musician instead. Prior to that point, I actually read the Space Camp 'Space Shuttle Operator's Manual' for fun. I wanted to name all my future children after astronauts. Sally Ride was my hero.

I sometimes wonder what my life would be like if I had pursued my dreams of space flight - most likely by beginning with an aerospace/aviation college degree and a flight career in the military if possible. It would probably be a more exciting life, but whether or not that would be a good thing, I don't know. Then again, maybe I'd just be pushing papers somewhere in Houston or Florida - who knows?