1st Ever SPACE SHUTTLE Landing - I was there for this one

[skydive forever]

14. I worked hands on on the shuttle program

for 25 years. Worked in the VAB building the SRB's and attaching the ET (5A shop for anyone that knows what that means). It was an absolute dream job. Made it to lead position and AST ( Advanced Aerospace Technician, kind of a junior engineer position). Personally built over 100 sets of SRB's and ran the ET attaching to the stack. Saw probably 70+ launches right from the east side of the VAB, 3 miles from the pad. One night, just prior to the scheduled launch the next morning, I was out at Pad A about 10 hours prior to the launch. To say it was incredible is the understatement of the year. If you're ever in Florida around here, hook up with me and I can tell stories that would blow you away. May even show you some souveniers you wont see anywhere else. I was so blessed. Got laid off last July, still looking for work, but I'll never top that experience. On the political side, this is DU afterall, I was amazed how many people even at the cape blamed Obama for ending the shuttle program, when it was Bush back in 2004. I saw firsthand the willful ignorance of republicans right in our own shop. Unbelievable.