ISS Overhead

We turned on the local news tonight. A lot of the report was focused on the mass shooting in San Bernardino. Most of what we heard was forgettable, but one bit of information was a treasure. The International Space Station was going to be traversing the sky at 6:13 p.m. That's just as darkness is falling. We were instructed to look to the south southwest and that it would peak at around 72 degrees, nearly overhead. I set my alarm, and when the time came, I put on my jacket and climbed the rear ladder so that I could be at rooftop height for the event.

Then suddenly, there it was, bright and clear, tracing a path across an otherwise blank sky. The stars were not yet visible, so it was very easy to pick out. I thought about the horrible news of wars and violence and human suffering, but the space station represents to me the triumph of the human spirit as we reach for the stars. In a special way the ISS symbolizes our capacity for cooperation among nations and peaceful exploration of our universe.

And I also thought about a TV special about life on the ISS and the more mundane aspects (how do toilets work in weightlessness?). As usual, humanity and all our ventures are a mixture of the sublime and the ridiculous. Isn't it wonderful that we can reach for the stars--and also laugh at ourselves?