Curiously, last week I wrote about “Spaces” but this week I am drawn to “Space,” as in Outer Space. Many of you will recall just where you were on July 20, 1969 when astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Alrin landed on the moon. How astounding that something that seemed inconceivable to the average American only years before, had come to pass. Just seven years before, on February 20, 1962, our teachers had brought tvs into the classroom to witness John Glenn make the first orbital flight by an American astronaut. One hundred thousand gathered to watch it take off. Millions more watched it on television.
Before reading about it again, I had forgotten the drama involved in that flight of Friendship 7. Prior to the end of the first orbit, the spacecraft control system began to malfunction, causing it to veer erratically. Ultimately, Glenn had to return to manual control to maneuver the craft.
Toward the end of Glenn’s third and last orbit, mission control received a mechanical signal from the spacecraft indicating that the heat shield on the base of the capsule was possibly loose. Traveling at its immense speed, the capsule would be incinerated if the shield failed to absorb and dissipate the extremely high reentry temperatures. It was decided that the craft’s retrorockets, usually jettisoned before reentry, would be left on in order to better secure the heat shield. Less than a minute later, Friendship 7 slammed into Earth’s atmosphere.
During Glenn’s fiery descent back to Earth, the straps holding the retrorockets gave way and flapped violently by his window as a shroud of ions caused by excessive friction enveloped the spacecraft, causing Glenn to lose radio contact with mission control. As mission control anxiously waited for the resumption of radio transmissions that would indicate Glenn’s survival, he watched flaming chunks of retrorocket fly by his window. After four minutes of radio silence, Glenn’s voice crackled through loudspeakers at mission control, and Friendship 7 splashed down safely in the Atlantic Ocean.
As space exploration has continued over the years, we seem to have lost our fascination with it, although some the private ventures of late have garnered a lot of attention. One of the most notable efforts has been the land rovers as part of the Mars Exploration Program. These motor vehicles are designed to travel on the surface of Mars and were sent there to:
- Find more clues about the history of water on Mars
- See if Mars could ever have supported life
- Search for signs of ancient life on Mars
- Collect samples of Mars rocks and soil that could help us better understand the planet’s geology
- Characterize a wide range of rocks and soils for clues to past water activity on Mars
Whether you think this is worthwhile or a waste of money, you might agree that this capacity to explore is astounding. May we never lose our wonder at this remarkable universe we inhabit.
May we be bearers of hope, the “wait staff” of Hope’s Café for each other and all those we encounter. Shalom, Kate
Hope’s Café Bonus: Socrates said “Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.” How lovely that the names of the various United States rovers that have operated on Mars over the years are Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance. (Russia currently has one named Zhurong). There is also a robotic helicopter named Ingenuity.
Hope's Cafe 