Today marks the end of an era (assuming weather cooperates) with the launch of shuttle Atlantis, STS-135. I’m a bit of a space nut… maybe even a space geek. We live about 140 miles north of Cape Canaveral and am lucky enough to usually see it streak across the sky with the naked eye. I’ve been lucky enough to the launch in person twice. My dad was there for the first Apollo launch.

To me, the story of going to the moon is one of the best history stories I can think of. There have been two great series on HBO & Discovery that cover the space program: From the Earth to the Moon & When We Left Earth. The latter is my favorite.

I’d like to share a few of my most favorite quotes from the program:

• It was probably the greatest singular human endeavor, certainly in modern times, maybe in the history of all mankind. - Gene Cernan
• Curiosity is the essence of human existence. - Jim Lovell
• It brings about innovation, imagination. It stimulates the entire society. - Buzz Aldrin
• It is something that is almost inherit in us, I believe, is to explore. And that is what the Space program is about. - Robert Crippen
• The most important thing that we have to pass on to our younger people is that the word impossible doesn't exist. - Jim Lovell
• The power of space was to raise our aspirations. To those things that are possible if we will commit. - Gene Kranz
• Given a task to do, one that seems impossible, given the desire to do it, humans can accomplish almost anything. - Jim Lovell
• We have to continue to move forward. To stop in space is to surrender. - Gene Kranz

Thank you to all the people at NASA, to the astronauts who risked their lives for the program.

Special thanks to President Kennedy who issued what seemed to be the impossible challenge.

To the 12 of you who have walked on the face of the moon, I'm incredibly jealous.

God Speed Atlantis!!!

After TechEd in Orlando one year, headed over to the cape to watch a launch with some SharePoint folks from TechEd.

As seen from the causeway from Titusville, FL to the Cape for STS133 in 2011.