Sadly, I had to say goodbye to Kennedy Space Center today and return to Dallas. As I made my journey home, the four Crew-1 astronauts were also making their way to their new home for the next six months. Oddly, my return to Dallas took about the same amount of time as the astronauts much longer journey to the International Space Statioon. I'm watching them approach the ISS now on NASA TV. They've been in the capsule over twenty four hours by now. When the launch was postponed for a day, the time required to reach the ISS increased dramatically. If they had launched a day earlier, they could have made the trip in around seven hours. It's all orbital mechanics. If I really understood how this worked I might have been a rocket scientist instead of a guy who wrote jingles for fast food chains.
My own journey home was much simpler. I returned the rent car after a short 40 mile drive from Titusville to the Orlando airport. It takes a little less than three hours to fly from Orlando to Dallas. It's almost always a very uneventful flight. I guess I'm still a little amazed at how many people are flying these days. If you listen to the business channels you'd think that the airline industry was on the verge of death. It doesn't look that way to me. There were lots of people at the airport. The food court was open. And our plane was technically "full" by the new Southwest Airlines standards. They're still keeping all the center seats open, but I think that's going to end in December.
This actually seems like what air travel should be like. You can find a parking place at the airport. The lines at the TSA checkpoints aren't horrendous anymore. Best of all, you don't feel like you are packed inside a sardine can on the plane. Having the center seat empty makes a huge difference. Everyone seems to have room for their bags in the overhead bins. It doesn't take as long to enter and exit the plane. And that annoying center seat person who is always making you move so they can go to the bathroom is gone completely. I wish we could keep flying like this forever.
I really enjoyed my trip. I got to see two significant launches within a span of several days. I renewed friendships with members of the space press that I had met on earlier trips. I actually interviewed people on this trip and attended a press conference where I was able to ask questions just like any other reporter. My photos were better this time too. I'm already looking forward to my next launch. It's too bad this is so expensive. I need to find a magazine that pays for travel.
It looks like I'll have to win Dawn's confidence all over again. She appeared frightened when I returned home, just like she did a year ago when I met her for the first time after returning from another launch in Florida. It's kind of sad that her fear of men may never go away. We're convinced that she was mistreated by her former owners. I think we were making real progress before I left for Florida, but this is going to be a very slow endeavor.
Tomorrow will be busy. I've got to finish my article and send it to the magazine. There are pictures to edit and a lot of laundry to do. I found three new bills to pay in the incoming mail and I've got to go to the store and get some fruit for my morning smoothies. The Resilience capsule just docked with the space station as I write this. It's been quite a year. I wonder what the world will look like six months from now when the astronauts return home.
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