As isolated as we may feel sometimes. Important moments can create a real sense of solidarity. Let us dismiss for a moment our differences over who may or may not be funding our nation's space program and the entire debate that goes along with that. On this day, I was afforded a break by the world. A scheduled rocket launch was postponed . . . meaning that there was just enough news coverage of the non-event to bring it into my consciousness. We were working hard on the compound, but we paused on the roof of my brothers house (still under construction), daughter in arms, wife uncomfortable on roof, to watch the launch of the Antares rocket. It failed. Quinn cried!
I wish I could say that her concern was out of compassion, but I'm not sure that she understood things completely enough for that. When I explained that there were no people on the doomed rocket, the tears subsided only for a moment.
The fact is, she felt human failure. We bet big. . . and sometimes we lose. She expected a streak in the sky and we attempted to placate her with explanations. No explanations suffice when you have climbed onto a roof to see a spectacle. Maybe that's how we all felt.
Unfortunately, for the grown-ups in the crowd, the loss of a rocket and 50,000 lbs of supplies seemed insignificant. We are the generation of The Challenger. But Quinn's disappointment resonates. We thought we were doing one thing. . . but we really weren't quite there.
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