To future discoveries

End of an era
Kennedy Space Center, FL
April 2012
Photo Credit: Ben Cooper, collectSpace

I rarely share photos I haven't taken, but I'll make an exception this time out. Of all the pictures that have crossed my screen in recent weeks, few tell a story as powerfully as this one. Ben Cooper shot it as the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft N905NA carried Discovery (OV-103) away from KSC for the final time, and as America's most travelled shuttle orbiter took climbed out on its last-ever flight, this photo more than any other captured the sense of emptiness over what comes next for human space flight in the U.S.

I'm looking forward to seeing Discovery when we visit her at the Smithsonian. More than that, I'm looking forward to seeing the next chapter in exploration, and lament the fact that there's going to be a period of quiet before that chapter begins.

Your turn: What first three words come to mind as you see this shot?

Please note: This photo wraps up our Thematic theme, silhouette. Last-minute submissions still being accepted here. Pop by at 7 o'clock tonight when we launch our next theme, faith.