traveltalk

The giant airplane straddling the booster situated in an area called the `pathfinder’, has a large, gaping hole at its mouth. A testimony to the fact that size does not matter in the face of that great equalize age. The whole section has been cordoned off and there are trucks and other such utilitarian automobiles that roar or chug in and out carting away or bringing in bits and pieces of material to restore the ailing machine to its former, strong squatting, avatar. It’s going to take a while and predictably there are more pictures being taken of the once airworthy machine in its present flawed state, than when whole and therefore somehow, ordinary. Destruction in any form has its own attraction and man is always somehow moved more by the vulnerability of his creations than their longevity.

Today has been a long day for the kids and the bulk of the activities at Space Camp are confined, we notice to today and tomorrow. Quite a few of the Area 51 items, outdoor leadership and team building activities, for the older group were conducted today. Very similar to the activities described yesterday but with enhanced degrees of difficulty. Again communication and the ability to understand the varying capability factors within a group and appreciating these differences played a key role in the success of these missions. Our boys and girls have been doing very well and one of the teams even broke a couple of records in their assignments.

`Mission to Mars’ and `Magnificent Desolation ‘’ were two films that the kids and we saw in the very impressive digital and Imax theatres here at the Space center. Again and again one is made to realize that even extraordinary events can be cast in an `uber’ spectacular mold by the way they are presented. The huge Imax dome screen and the precision of the 3D digital images make the Mars and the Moon events seem almost impossibly super human and otherworldly. Man and America’s achievements seem crafted out of abilities honed by means other than just finely honed intelligence coupled with large doses of science and engineering. Rockets have always enthralled people. The Marshall and Davidson Centers here have made sure with their utterly captivating displays, both physical and on celluloid, of these monumental feats of engineering, that this basic obsession of man’s with rockets will always be nursed and nurtured .

I haven’t been able to upload photos today to due to technical difficulties, cameras being recharged etc, but will get to it posthaste.

It’s been a long day my friends and I seem to have been bitten by the scratchy bug myself and hence I’ll take leave with promises to keep.

I saw Pavan racing off to his Mission with his cough not very far behind but not a very strong presence either,  He said  not to worry , he couldn’t be better. Immediately after his reassurance, two of my mosquitoes told me they liked me. Well I sort of made them say it but they sounded sincere enough.

Its little things like these that make my promises not just easy but necessary to keep.

Signing off for now,

hemaa narayan

~ by svmastrorockers on June 4, 2008.