A boy and his telescope

When I was eight, my parents gave me a K-mart telescope for Christmas, and space has fascinated me ever since. I’ve witnessed Neil Armstrong take humanities’ first giant leap, studied Hubble’s images of newborn stars, and followed SpaceX as they iterate toward our next big step.

Titusville, Florida, is where I spent the month of March, and the Kennedy Space Center was less than ten miles away. While there, I watched two Falcon 9 launches, felt the sky boom, and saw the sky glow.

If you can, visit The Kennedy Space Center. The IMAX documentary Deep Sky is incredible (It’s also showing here). Walking around, you’ll see the original Apollo control room, a Saturn 5 rocket, a Falcon 9, a Space Shuttle, and so much more! If you go, leave plenty of time. There’s so much to see.

While having lunch, I watched people move between the exhibits. How curious we are, you and I. We ask questions, seek answers, and are capable of so much good.

In that snowy Michigan backyard, my father was astonished to see Saturn and its rings. Looking away from that little telescope, his expression was unforgettable. Here stood his curious eight-year-old son, victorious over a frigid December night, taking a step he’d never dreamed of.