One of my childhood idols has left this place we call Earth. One of the true pioneers of human spaceflight. By the time I was ten I could name all of the original seven Mercury astronauts as well as the names of thier capsules and even why some of them chose the names they did for those capsules. For as long as I can remember, I have been enthralled by space and space travel and by the thought that there is just no way that we are the only life that exists in the universe. I always wanted to be an astronaut and if someone ever gave me the chance to go up ... i'd be on my way in a second. It is probably the only thing that I would ever put before my family. I love the space program and I support if fully, however I also believe in the privatization of space travel. I'm getting off subject here though. Back to Wally ... there's a great link on NASA's homepage that shares his story. Click here to see it. There are few people in this world who accomplished as much as those seven men did or who are nearly as brave. I respect them more than any human could ever respect another. They dedicated their lives to the space program and because men like them exist, we have the space program that we have today. While it's true that NASA is having some hardships, please don't lose sight of the greatness that exists there. I've been there, i've seen it ... it is truly amazing. And on that note, now would probably be as good a time as any to scan in and post those pictures I mentioned recently. Stay tuned ...
FYI...My dad was stationed on the naval ship that used to retrieve the capsules, many many years ago. He has some pretty cool stories about it, I'll have to have him share them with you someday!!~Karena
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