I'm doing talks before elementary school kids about where we are going, and where we've been in the exploration of space. (If we don't get these kids interested by 5th grade, I think you can forget it! And no "Uncle Wehrner" around to tell us about how we might explore space!) Since I got a "terminal case" of "spaceitis" in 4th or 5th grade...back in 1952-53, before the word "aerospace" was coined, I lived through the '50's and '60's, including some very interesting jobs at the Cape. (Saw Gus Grissom's Redstone lift off from the Polaris facility! Snuck into the post-flight press conference at the Starlight Motel. I was 19! I find myself with some instances of CRS when I try to bring back specs for lift-off thrust for some of the birds! <img src="/images/icons/frown.gif" /><br /><br />For me the "magic words" are, "T-minus 27 seconds, vernier engine start!" (Atlas D automatic sequencer started at that point....I think I remember hearing...)<br /><br />The one that REALLY got the chills going up and down my spine was John Young reporting, "Houston, Columbia out of flight level 4500 at Mach 25!" Considering that the fastest manned "aircraft" prior to that was the X-15, years before. We thought the Space Transportation System would take care of the costs of expendable launch vehicles. How little did we know... <img src="/images/icons/frown.gif" /> I was working on the SRB Decelerator (parachute recovery) Subsystem at the time. Even before, but especially after Challenger, I always hold my breath until "booster sep" has occurred. I don't like solids for "high value" payloads!<br /><br />Of COURSE, Neil Armstrong's, "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed!" probably tops them all, especially after hearing the "60 seconds" call from CapCom.<br /><br />Well, I better stop waxing nostalgic, and get back to waxing the floor, or something else that's constructive.<br /><br />Hopefully, we'll hear calls of a safe landing on the Moon from an LSAM commander in t