- Leonardo da Vinci
My Dad used to take me by Addison airport when I was a kid, and we'd watch the Cessnas, Bonanzas, and other passenger planes land. Thinking about it brings a feeling of nostalgia, and eventually, one of my goals is to take flying lessons and earn a pilots license.
With that said, as a fan of aviation, I have the utmost respect and awe for our space exploration. Alan Bean (Omega Chi, Texas) was one of the twelve men to land on the moon during the six Apollo moon landings. Our ability, as a human race, to search for that higher endeavor and always explore is something that makes us great...our willingness to charge into the unknown.
Most recently, we have joined with the nations of the world to send humanity into space with the International Space Station. Though the ISS doesn't make the headlines of the Apollo mission, it consistently reminds me that there is much greatness out there in space to be found.
Tonight is a blue moon, and I look to the moon tonight with that same inspiration as ever. Recently, there have been a number of photographs taken from the ISS, which are just as awe inspiring, only the majesty is directed back toward our small blue planet.
Over the past several days I've been checking into the tweet feed of Doughlas H. Wheelock aka "Astro Wheels", an American astronaut on the International Space Station. While aboard the ISS, Astro Wheels is orbiting our planet at over 17,000 miles per hour and 180 nautical miles above surface. Lately, he has made several news reports for his twitter feed and the pictures he's been posting from the ISS.
These photographs are absolutely remarkable. First are a couple shots of the Northern Lights, or aurora borealis. I am hoping to see the lights first hand if I make it to Iceland next year in March.
Astro Wheels has also posted many pictures of random pictures around our planet. Anyone want to head to the Florida Keys?
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