Watching History Over My House!

This is Space Shuttle Discovery on the back of a huge NASA 747 flying directly over my house at 9:46 am. I am on my back deck in my vintage house coat and chiffon nightie yelling like a nut on a roller coaster.

After being retired last year, Discovery was transferred this morning from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida to the Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Airport in Northern Virginia. The Center is a division of the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum.

http://www.nasm.si.edu/collections/discovery/activity-detail.cfm?id=3783

As a kid in the 1980s, I used to love watching the Space shuttle launches on TV. I was mesmerized by the idea that something that big could fly into space. There was even a time I wanted to be an astronaut (like most kids I am sure). "Space Camp" was one of favorite movies.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091993/


So, here's how the whole scene played out on my back deck:

After waiting a while for Discovery to make its appearance, I start wondering, "Are they sure it's going to fly over?"

All of a sudden, I hear something! Yes, here comes Discovery!

And there it goes:

I am so excited I don't care that I am outside in my house coat!

Nevertheless, after 20 years, the space shuttle program has been retired. I am sad it is over but I am glad I had the honor of witnessing an era come to an end.