Thursday, July 21, 2011

Shuttle Memories

The final Shuttle, Atlantis, landed this morning at 5:57pm. It marked the end of NASA's 30 year shuttle program. The first shuttle launched back on April 12, 1981. It amazes me to think that there have been 135 shuttle missions with 355 space flyers! What an incredible history!! I have fond memories of my husband, and all 3 of our boys and their interest in the Space Shuttles. Together we have watched numerous launches, landings, and broadcasts from space.

Back in February my son Ryan drove several hours in Florida to see the Discovery make her final launch. What a memorable site for a boy who grew up with toy Space Shuttles and a desire to be an astronaut. A photo that he took during the launch inspired the painting on the left.

I tip my hat to NASA - its been an incredible ride!

13 comments:

Mermaid's Palette said...

Very cool, Claire! I love it, and I remember many space shuttle models around our house also! You did a really nice job with this!

Jacqueline said...

What a nice way to commemorate the space shuttle. Is this in your journal?

~Suzanne~ said...

Hi Claire,
You have your own little page of history.....very nice!
Suzanne

lori vliegen said...

wonderful tribute, claire! we have friends who used to live in orlando.....we would go down for a visit and stay up until the wee hours of the morning until launch time......we always had an amazing view right in their front yard! xox

Kathy A. Johnson said...

I love your paintings commemorating the last shuttle. We've been to Cape Canaveral but never seen a shuttle launch. We have heard the sonic booms and seen them in the sky occasionally though. (My son had a toy space shuttle, too, though he never developed a special interest in the space program.)

BARBARA WEEKS said...

Beautiful page!

Mary Paquet said...

Claire, I love your sketchbook! The Whidbey Island pieces recall my visit there so perfectly.

Also, the shuttle sketches link to my recent trip by bicycle on the East Coast. We visited the Space Center and saw the shuttle being readied for launch in April. Having gone to college at the beginning of the space era, I recall the excitement of the early years. I do hope we see our way clear to do more space exploration. Man working as a team can do extraordinary things. This program has affected our daily lives in so many ways, including advancements made by IBM.

Lisa Holtzman said...

Nice post Claire. You did an incredible painting of the shuttle!!

Kelly said...

...great post, Claire. I'm sad our space travel has come to an end. So many innovations were a direct result of NASA research. I remember watching on TV...trying to stay awake...as we landed on the moon. It was so exciting.

Teresa said...

Great entry Claire on a very historic moment. How wonderful that you captured it in such a personal, artistic way.

Delilah said...

Nice idea.

K said...

What sweet nostalgic memories to have, Claire! Kudos to you for journaling about it too.

Richard Sheppard said...

Beautiful pages and great tribute! My dad worked on the space shuttle many years ago. He worked on the recovery of the rocket boosters. Nice artistic capture!