Space Shuttle: End Of An Era

In just over 2 hours from now, Atlantis STS-135: The Last Shuttle Mission will launch [hopefully, never do know what the weather is gonna do], marking the end of a revolutionary era. It has been said that the Space Shuttle is mankind's most technologically advanced system ever built, and really, who can argue that? Like most little kids/boys, I grew up in astonishment and with wonder about space, and flight, and all that awesome stuff. So with the launch today of the Space Shuttle a small sadness comes over me, that this age of exploration and dreams comes to and end. Admittedly, I'm also a bit upset with myself for not having ever witnessed a launch with my own eyes. I've seen plenty of videos and watched many launches live on TV, but I've never felt the ground shake beneath my feet as over 6 million pounds of thrust launch these beauties literally, out of our world.

Below I've compiled a couple of various clips [all worth watching in full!] all in tribute to the shuttle program, and a final video dedication at the bottom to the four astronauts launching today. The launch is scheduled for 11:26am EST, and God willing, the weather cooperates and everything goes off without a hitch. [You can follow the live coverage here] Thank you President Nixon for signing off on this project, thank you NASA for engineering and building the most complex machine on the planet, and to all the astronauts who've devoted so much time to the program. God speed, and for those about to rock launch, I salute you.

[Nasa: Launching Our Dreams]

[Space Shuttle: An Idea Born In Unsettling Times]

[For Those About To Rock]

Planes: Oh Hell Yea!!!

Goodness gracious, great balls of fire! I just came across the first trailer for Disney's newest animated film, Planes. Most likely drawing on the success of Cars, and children's dreams across the world, it looks like Disney will be making an airplane version of the movie Cars. And. I. Can't. Wait! ....Except that I'll have to, for another two years, due to the projected 2013 release date. Wah Wahh Wahhhhhh. At any rate, I can already see some fantastic references to other movies that involve planes/jets, and as a profound lover of the Cars movie, I think it's safe to say I'm going to love this one. Seriously, who doesn't feel the need for speed?! ENJOY!

[Planes: Trailer]

UPDATE: Damn you Disney, for not sharing the joy of animated, flight goodness. Hope those of you who saw the trailer liked it while it lasted.

Most Relaxing Beach Ever.

Who wants to take a vacation with me to ohhhh.....let's say St. Maarten in the Caribbean, more specifically Maho Beach?! I want to go for one reason, and one reason only: the plane landings! Basically you've got jumbo jets coming in like 10-15 feet over your head. I can't even imagine how cool it would be to see those landings that up close. The pilots are insane......and awesome. Check out a few of these pictures and videos. Who's with me??

Californ-i-a

Californiaaaaaa, here we come! Uh, correction. Rather, here I come! Just bought my plane ticket to head out to San Diego in a few months to see some friends from school. I have a sneaking suspicion that this will probably be one of my favorite trips of all time....also there's probably a real possibility I won't come back. CANNOT WAIT!

And purely for good measure:

Flight Line Dancing

So here's some fun videos of flight line workers sending off some jets in....interesting ways. Some of these guys can move! Don't know why I thought to compile these, but they gave me a good laugh, and tomorrow's Friday, so why not? Enjoy.

Those Brits across the pond know how to get down too!

Speed & Angels

Yesterday evening I watched a film/documentary entitled 'Speed & Angels'. It was filmed a few years ago, and actually came out last fall. Let me first say how blown away I was by this film. It basically follows the story of two Naval fighter pilots through their journey of learning to fly the F-14 Tomcat. But it's so much more than that. It's a visually stunning film....I still need to figure out how it was shot. I know it's available in HD, but a lot of the footage looks like it was shot on 16mm film. That could very well be the product of post production editing, nevertheless it's amazing to simply watch.

I found the film very inspiring. Granted I loved the film because of its subject matter (becoming a fighter pilot), but I believe the same philosophies talked about in it, can be easily applied to every walk of life and/or profession. I grew up in a military family, the son of an Air Force fighter pilot. My mom calls me a 'wild man', I love thrills and adrenaline, this sorta thing is just in my blood.

Similar to the pilots in the film, I first watched 'Top Gun' at a very young age and remember being immediately captivated. I remember for years having to go down into the basement and pull out my dad's flight gear to put on, for at the time, that was the only acceptable way to watch the movie. All I wanted to do when I grew up was to strap myself into a jet, let the afterburners roar, go flying down the runway, pull up, and head for the sky going "mach 2 with my hair on fire". Oh, and I'd have a really sweet callsign too.

Here's a trailer of the film. It's pretty intense, and it's quite clear from just this sample the amount of time that went into making it.



Life goes on, the years pass, hobbies come and go, sports take over your life, the excitement you had as a little kid even starts to fade. The dream never really dies though. Sure it may dwindle over time, but it never leaves you for good. This film brought upon me a rush of feelings I haven't had in a long time.

I highly recommend to anyone to take the time to sit and watch it. You can watch it online here, or I know it's available on DVD too for those that prefer the couch over a computer chair. The films website can be seen at: www.speedandangels.com. As always, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.