Aboard the Space Shuttle

A story about perspective.

Oct. 5, 1984: Space Shuttle Challenger launch on Kathryn Sullivan’s STS-41G mission. Image photographed by astronaut Paul Weitz, who was piloting the Shuttle training aircraft. (NASA)

I’ve always had a thing for the space program, growing up, as I did, a few hours from Cape Kennedy. I built a lunar module kit when I was nine and had a map of the moon on my wall. My grandfather was even a guest at the Apollo 11 launch in 1969 and I treasure his VIP pass. In college I had an opportunity to spend an afternoon with Kathy Sullivan, one of the early women astronauts and a…