These are the Voyages...

*Flashback to January 28, 1986*

Almost 20 years ago, I was sitting in my first-grade classroom watching Challenger Launch. At the time it seemed like the events were unfolding before my eyes. The whole class seemed really shocked when the shuttle exploded -- as shocked as first-graders get when witnessing an event like this. In hindsight, what we saw was likely a tape delayed or recorded. I was in Hawaii at the time and the actual time of the explosion -- 11:38AM Eastern -- would have been too early for school, given the time difference.

I remember being at my aunt's house, watching the televised funeral procession of one of the astronauts. He was a Hawaiian -- Ellison Onizuka was born on the Big Island -- Kona, to be exact. When I moved to South Carolina later that year, I discovered that one of the other astronauts on that fateful trip was a South Carolinian -- Ronald McNair. (Nowadays there are many things in my former home state named after the late astronaut.)

I may have been six, but both images, albeit blurred by time, remain in my mind's eye to this day.

*Flashback to February 1, 2003*

I was at GW that Saturday, helping run one of the last tournaments the Academic Team hosted -- Juan Carlos Viscarra 9. I remember being in the war room between rounds or during long expanses holding down the fort.... one or the other... listening to radio accounts of the Columbia explosion. My boyfriend at the time seemed shell-shocked. Not just from lack of sleep the night before, but also finding out about the disaster.

When we weren't running things for the tournament, we were glued to that radio in that clasroom in the Hall of Government/Lisner.

*Fast forward to today...*

"Our long wait may be over. So on behalf of the many millions of people who believe so deeply in what we do, good luck, Godspeed — and have a little fun up there," -- launch director Mike Leinbach to the Discovery crew before liftoff.

After two years of testing, retesting, preparation and delays, The Space Shuttle Discovery successfully blasted into orbit earlier today. Their mission: to deliver much-needed supplies to the International Space Station.

The commander is a woman : Eileen Collins. I hope that gals will be looking up to her as I did Sally Ride and Christa McCauliffe. The crew-- as intrepid as crews before them: pilot James Kelly Soichi Noguchi, Stephen Robinson, Andrew Thomas,Wendy Lawrence, and Charles Camarda.

Given that this mission was the first after Columbia's explosion, and after years of a grounded shuttle program, I think a good deal of us were hoping and praying for success. We realize, too that space exploration presents a good deal of risks and dangers. For each brave crew that ventures, we hope we may never see again what we had in 1986, 2003 and before....

Very glad to see you all back in space. Godspeed, and may your voyages and explorations continue onward. And may our knowledge of the unknown broaden with every new step and every new mission.