Watching or listening to the news these days is remarkably similar to taking a few punches from a Golden Glove Boxer. It is one hit after another: flood, fires, wars, assaults, murders, and thefts. You name it, it is happening.
This no-good-horrible-news is probably why so many people were interested in the Artemis space shuttle mission. Millions of people watched the Integrity blast off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and millions more viewed the splash down nine days later into the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of San Diego. The New York Mets Baseball Team even showed the splash down on their jumbo screen during their baseball games.
Millions more viewed the spaceship as it passed on the dark side of the moon, an area where no astronaut had ever been or humans on Earth had ever seen before. It was an exciting time both for them and for us here on Planet Earth.
We made sure our schedule was clear on Friday night when the mission was scheduled to end. I wanted to see the splash down and make sure these four brave humans made it back to Earth safely.
I am not going to lie; I held my breath as it descended and went into black out mode for six minutes. This was an extremely critical time for the Integrity, and things could go bad.
A NASA spokesperson said on the news earlier that day that three small miracles had to happen to make sure this craft landed safely. No. 1: they had to hit the ocean within the parameters set aside. No. 2: the heat shield had to hold with temperatures going as high as 5,000 degrees; and thirdly: all 14 parachutes had to deploy.
I did not need to hear that because it was in the back of mind all day. I was particularly concerned about the heat shield holding up. I could not fathom the results if, for some reason, it failed. It also occurred to me, if I was that nervous about the re-entry, how were the engineers who worked on the mission feeling as they watched it re-enter the earth’s atmosphere?
Fortunately, it all went according to years of planning, and no one had to say “Houston, we have a problem.”
A post I saw online read, “We are so emotionally involved with the Artemis II mission because these astronauts, scientists, and engineers are showing us intelligent people working together can do difficult things. We ache for that right now. They are reminding us it is possible.”
Another person wrote, “I think we are all hungering for a shared, meaningful experience that unites us.”
I think one the most profound things I heard was from an astronaut who said, “When you see earth from outer space, you do not see the divisional lines between cities, states, countries. You just see one big planet with billions of people on it hurtling through space.”
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It is prom season here on the Plateau. Phoenix School has already celebrated the 2026 prom while Cumberland County High School and Stone Memorial are up next.
CCHS prom is this Saturday night, April 18, and SMHS is Saturday, April 25th.
Prom also brings with it the annual mock DUI/Prom Promise events sponsored by the TAD Center along with city fire, police, emergency medical services, school resource officers, and Scarlett’s Auto. CCHS mock DUI was Thursday. SMHS Mock DUI will be next Friday, April 24th.
Also around town this weekend is the annual Miss Senior Tennessee Pageant. This event gets underway Saturday at the newly renovated Palace Theater at 6 p.m. Pageant Director Frances Brooks says there are 19 women total and five local women vying for the state title and an opportunity to represent the Volunteer State in the National Pageant. Tickets may be purchased at the door.