Space

I was informed that SpaceX was about to launch their latest rocket earlier today, their second attempt. When I saw the message, I went onto the livestream, curious to see the rocket take off.

Space has always made me curious. I recall vividly spending time on my parents’ computer looking at photos from the Hubble Space Telescope when I was young. I looked in awe; wonder. Photos taken at a distance I couldn’t describe at the time, and still can’t because I never learned how far away the telescope was at the time. Yet, I knew one thing: space is wonderful.

A friend informed me that an online space community had congregated on Clubhouse to listen to the launch together. At T-4 minutes, I joined, excited. In one ear, I had a headphone in, through which I could hear the community discuss the launch. The other ear was clear, through which I listened to the SpaceX feed.

At less than T-40 seconds, the launch was delayed momentarily. Shortly after, the countdown resumed again. T-20. T-10. T-0. T+1. The rocket launched.

YouTube reported that over 1,000,000 people watched the stream. Here I was, sitting in Scotland while a rocket took off in Texas. I was connected to people across the globe who I will never meet over our interest in watching the launch.

I looked up at the sky without particular reason. In hindsight, perhaps I was expressing the feeling of awe I have toward space physically. I recalled how I sometimes look at the moon and say to myself “people have been there.” People have been to a celestial body that was, until recent history, unreachable. Our reaching space is a testament to the collective ingenuity of humanity.

The rocket launched by SpaceX today took off, later encountering troubles in the sky and being detonated over water. The launch was an experiment, one taking us ever closer to having a new type of rocket that can enter into orbit. Half-way across the world, the launch made me feel joyful, excited, and connected to people across the globe. A magical moment.