Space from the Sunshine State

Blog post by Program Assistant Laura Grant. To read more posts from Laura, click here.


As we at JMM anticipate the opening of our next exhibit, Jews in Space: Members of the Tribe in Orbit, I’m drawn to reminisce about the role space exploration has played in my own life.  One of the unique things about growing up in Central Florida was the ability to see space shuttle and rocket launches from Kennedy Space Center, located in Cape Canaveral. Most of the time, I saw the launches from afar, either at my home with my family or with teachers and students at school.

View of a rocket launch from my front yard

I loved the ritual we created for the launches. My family and I would turn on the TV to watch the countdown on the large clock and listen to the pre-launch checks and preparations. A few minutes before the launch, we would place our shoes by the front door so that we would be ready to run outside following a successful “lift off.” Once outside, we would have to wait a few moments before the exhaust was visible in the sky. We would be joined by our neighbors and would gather in the street looking up and the sky and asking, “Can you see anything yet?” Suddenly, a cloud of exhaust and a small speck of the shuttle would emerge from the trees. My family along with our neighbors would all look and point upwards, and occasionally someone would bring out a telescope so we could get a closer look.

The big countdown clock at Kennedy Space Center

Once, as a small child, I got the special treat of watching a space shuttle launch from Cape Canaveral. Unfortunately, I was only 18 months old at the time, so I don’t remember the experience. According to my mom, my family got tickets to see the launch because my grandfather worked with an uncle of one of the astronauts, Kevin Kregel.

View of the launch from Kennedy Space Center

The launch was set for 10:49AM, and we tried to get there 2 hours ahead of time to ensure we could get a good viewing spot. As you might be able to tell from this photo of me before the launch, it was a typical hot summer Florida day. Not only was I too young to remember the launch, I also fell asleep right before takeoff.

Me, looking hot and tired while waiting for the launch

However, I do have fond memories of coming together with my neighbors or classmates to watch space shuttle and rocket launches over the years. I was reminded of this sense of shared connection and wonder recently with the launch of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at the end of May. While, I couldn’t see the launch from my parent’s home in Florida, I tuned in along with countless others across the United States and the world to watch astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley become the first humans to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. My parents reported that they ran outside just like we used to in order to see the launch in the sky. Their favorite part, though, was catching up with neighbors (at a distance) who they hadn’t seen or spoken to in months due to COVID-19. Growing up, that was always my favorite part too. While the space shuttle or rocket and its smoke trails were only visible for a few minutes, conversation could linger for an hour. And while I couldn’t participate in-person this time, it was nice to be reminded of this shared sense of connection and community as I witnessed millions of people watching and commenting on the live broadcast of the launch.

SpaceX launch from May

I think that sense of awe and fascination we all feel watching launches or seeing astronauts on the International Space Station, provides a sense of connectedness, which now is more important than ever. And, I hope you will feel that same sense of connection,  whether over the first Jewish astronauts in space, the long history of Jewish involvement in the genre of science fiction, or the important role Marylanders have played in space exploration, when you experience the Jews in Space exhibit, in-person and/or virtually.


 

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jewish museum of maryland

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