Columbia

Columbia
It was uncharacteristic of me to wake so early the morning of February 1st, 2003. I had to question my motives for such an early rise, considering I still had 2 hours of precious sleep until work. It was hard for me to make out, still being 34's asleep, but my parents were glued to the tiny 16' TV in our living room. I voiced a muffled “Gd morng”, as I collapsed in the recliner near our gas fire place. At last my eyes focused on the tragedy unfolding before me. “Sweet, are those asteroids?”, I asked, still delirious “ I dono’, I think it’s the shuttle”, my mom responded. “Say what?”, I questioned, sparking my curiosity. My eyes became transfixed on the glowing balls of fire shooting across the sky. I absorbed the full reality of the situation as I read the caption scrolling across the bottom of the television, “Debris entering atmosphere is believed to be the remains of the shuttle Columbia.”

The shuttle Columbia launched the morn...