Wednesday I watched as the space shuttle Endeavor was flown from Kennedy Space Center to begin her final journey and just like other champion she did a victory lap, flying low over her central Florida home. Thursday I watched as she left her overnight fuel stop in Texas to complete the final leg to her new home in Los Angeles. As Endeavor perched on top of a 747, lifted off the ground, my eyes roamed her surface. I noted the wing edges with their protective tiles. I have friends who knew every tile on all the shuttles and could tell you stories of difficult repairs or times when the tiles almost failed during a re-entry. You see, the space shuttles weren’t just objects to those who worked on them.
After the Columbia disaster, the collected pieces of debris were brought into a warehouse and laid out in a grid. There were many pieces that were not easily identified so shuttle technicians were asked to help. Some were so mangled it looked impossible to determine their purpose but the men and women who worked on Columbia, some of whom worked on her from the very first tile, had no difficulty. My husband was one of those men. If you had asked him to identify our children’s clothes in a closet he would not have had a clue but he knew those mangled pieces because he spent eight or more hours per day for over thirty years cajoling and finessing them.
As you visit the space shuttles placed in museums around the country, stop a moment to pay your respect to the astronauts who lost their lives and if you listen closely, you might even hear echoes of the men and women who held their breath with each countdown and re-entry, the proud workforce of Kennedy Space Center.
http://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2008/tech_benefits.html
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Old Things R New 
Onisha, I just republished your blog post on mine. I hope that’s okay. I just wanted as many people as possible to read your words.
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It is always ok to reblog.
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Excellent post, Onisha. I had chills running up my arms and tears in my eyes as I read it. Do you know Marsha Koenig? Her husband’s life was in the shuttles, too. Thank you for writing this. GREAT JOB.
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I had tears as I wrote it. I don’t know Marsha Koenig but my husband may have known her’s. We have many good memories of the shuttle program that will grow sweeter each year.
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Very nicely done blog honoring a fine group of people.
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Oh, this blog is a jewel and a gem. I wanted to cry. I wish it could be published in the Today Newspaper or somewhere for all the men and women who worked on the shuttle could see it. I loved where you said your husband didn’t know the children’s clothes, but he would know those tiles, and how you honed in on a small material thing to tell your story. Masterful! Bill hasn’t seen it yet, but he will love it..
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