Feature What is your favourite space memory?

[MMohammed]

I've got so many moments I can point to that featured something about space absolutely blowing me away. However, my favourite absolutely has to be my trip to the Kennedy Space Centre when I was a child. The thing I cannot forget was staring at the life-size model of the Explorer. I'd watched so many of these things take off on TV and just being in the presence of a MODEL stupefied me. Those things are massive!

Sadly, I didn't take this picture (can't find any photos from that time!). Thanks Wikipedia!​

How about you? I'm curious what the rest of the community's favourite space memory is!

 

[zclayton]

Watching a night time shuttle launch when I was in Grad school - from my front yard in St Petersburg. This was pre-Challenger. A glorious climbing torch of light.

 

[Wolfshadw]

I'd say my favorite space memory was the US Return to Space following the Challenger accident.

I remember exactly where I was when Discovery lifted off on the 29th of Sept, 1988. I had joined the Air Force a year earlier. I was in my office with most of my entire squadron gathered around a 6" portable TV screen, watching the launch. My heart was racing as Discovery lifted off and it all but stopped when I heard the five scariest words I've ever heard: "Discovery. Go with throttle up." 30 seconds later, my eyes were full of tears and I had a fist raised in triumph.

-Wolf sends

(Yes, I copy/pasted from an earlier thread).

 

[GeoXXX]

Going down to Florida as a kid, about five years before the first Shuttle launch. It was soon after the Soyuz-Apollo docking and I got a big medal souvenir medallion/coin commentating it. I actually got quite a bit of swag on my dad’s dime .
Those were great days, I miss my mom and dad.

 

[robboeseneilers]

My favorite space moment was Feb 6th 2018. My first rocket launch was the test flight of the Falcon Heavy, and it did not disappoint. Being able to witness a 1st with my 1st!

 

[Jimbow666]

The luner landing was by far the greatest thing I witnessed. Followed only by the Challenger disaster.

 

[Jimbow666]

The luner landing was by far the greatest space adventure I have ever seen.

 

[vilhelmkb]

Apollo-Soyuz 100% !!!

 

[Benjamim Filho]

A chegada do homem à Lua em 1969. Eu tinha 11 anos de idade e assisti pela televisão, aqui no Brasil
The Moon landing in 1969. I was 11 years old and watched by television, here in Brazil.

 

[Paul R]

By far, watching the first moon landing on tv from the top balcony of a radar tower while I was in the USAF!

 

[Admod]

Do my visits to the Kennedy Space Center get to count as space memories? I loved seeing all the building and places where so much history launched from and took place! And seeing the buildings and craft up close! Also the 2002 Leonid Meteor shower given its amazing show like fireworks, all night in the dark mesmerized. And the moment I saw my first total solar eclipse, and being at such a loss for words at the emotions I felt that all I could do was cry at seeing something words could not describe.

 

[azcacannondale]

staying up to WATCH,
the "MOON LANDING"

 

[Catastrophe]

A chegada do homem à Lua em 1969. Eu tinha 11 anos de idade e assisti pela televisão.

Courtesy of Google Translate:
Man's arrival on the Moon in 1969. I was 11 years old and watched on television.

 

[Zarcon]

Picture of Mars were so exciting but I personally think we never got to see them all

 

[Special K]

My favorite space memory would have to be the first trip to the moon. It was a leap ahead for mankind and opened up infinite possibilities. It opens up questions of the possibility of other inhabitable planets and other lifeforms. The stars have always fascinated me.

 

[Marmarmar]

Moon landing

 

[Catastrophe]

Shaking hands with the (then) Sir Anthony Eden when I graduated.

Cat

 

[Elocineax]

1962 John Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth. That was the greatest thing America has achieved in my lifetime, in my opinion. For that brief moment in time America was one "American" People full of love and pride in what the collective WE had achieved. We knew n that moment there was no limit to what America would achieve.

 

[Foppemike]

Before my time but still a favorite space moment/memory is when we beat the USSR to the moon. I am also proud of my fellow Buckeyes (Ohioans) Neil Armstrong and John Glenn if only I could be as great and to be respected and remembered as they are and will be.

 

[BoxCar]

As a Design Engr at RocketDyne's Santa Susana Propulsion Field Lab in 1964 I was tasked w/design of an IMPULSE Load Cell to be used to CALIBRATE Thrusters for Moon Lander so Astronauts could "Dock-In-Space" or else NO ONE was going to Moon b/c to come back req'd a DOCK w/return S/C so why go?
When we were successful in calibrating a thruster so it could be precisely controlled, the "Proof of the Pudding" was 1965 Gemini project when Neil Armstrong became 1st astronaut to manually "Dock-in-Space" using thrusters we had calibrated w/my device, That was the moment when I first REALIZED, "Hey, it worked, we're going to the MOON" 4 yrs b/4 Neil landed on Moon

 

[Samuel 187]

William Tompkins said there was a secret space program. And Navy space fleet.

 

[Woosabie]

This is one small step for man , one huge step for man kind

 

[Samuel 187]

William Tompkins said there was a secret space program. And Navy space fleet.
Roswell, JPP.

 

[Harvey_schmidlap]

I was born in 60 so I have a LOT of memories of the race to the moon. My first memory at this question was all the crappy astronaut food they sold. The tang was okay but they sold these pretty bad sticks shaped like slim Jim's but shorter. The peanut butter ones were horrible but we didn't care because we were eating like the astronauts!

 

[richWorld]

The 1989 Planetfest run by the Planetary Society in celebration of Voyager 2s flyby of Neptune and the end of it's planetary exploration. Festivities started in the Pasadena Civic Center auditorium with an introduction by Carl Sagan. What a treat it was to hear his mesmerizing voice and words inspire emotionally with the magnitude of the event. Next scientists from JPL lectured as Voyager closed in on Neptune. The following days consisted of the flyby and more lectures. There was an art show with fabulous pieces and the experience being with all those people with the same interest and excitement made a great time.