A few days had passed and it seemed as if the crowds were starting to get restless. SpaceX had completed two static fire tests and the launch was becoming inevitable. Because of the private nature of the company though, no one knew for sure exactly when it was going to happen. Surly, there was a profusion of items on the checklist and all we could do was wait.
I personally had no objections to that though. Over the last week I had moved my mobile office right to Boca Chica and had become quite content working underneath the constant gaze of SN10.
The starship seemed to provide a constant source of inspiration to anyone that came through to see it. Day after day I sat and watched cars go by and smiles light up faces. Without fail, a childlike expression would take over every face. It had a strange way to bring back that joy and curiosity we each have at one point, yet seem to loose as we get older and become jaded by life.
Here though, it returned and there was an ever present feeling of jubilance that was hard to escape.
This would be the last night to get that from SN10. The evacuation notices had gone out for the following day and SN10 was ready to launch.
A bittersweet feeling took over me as the day dragged on. I almost didn’t want to see the ship take off, I had become so accustomed to seeing it every day. And after tomorrow, it would all be over. I would be on to my next voyage and who knew when I would be back.
Even so, I couldn’t hide my excitement. I was expecting this to be one of the cooler things I had ever seen, and that was saying a lot.
It’s almost as if Mother Nature knew this was SN10’s last night. She set up the sky perfectly, with just enough clouds for the setting sun to perfectly reflect off. As it sunk lower in the sky, hues of pink and purple started to radiate against the fading blue.
I ran around the field mesmerized, trying to find the perfect shot.
How awesome.
I still feel the awe from that moment. It has reverberated with me for the past month, pushing me to keep pushing myself. As I stood there, I almost couldn’t believe that I was living in reality. How could anything so beautiful be happening right in front of me?
How could this moment be real?
I still ask myself that daily. A constant feeling of bewilderment about my own ignorance and an ever present reminder of how much I don’t know. I look back on the last two and a half years and I question if it has all been a fever dream. How could I be so lucky? What did I do to earn this privilege?
This wasn’t the moment to get lost in my head thinking about philosophy. It was time to say goodbye. The sun had escaped behind the worlds edge and SN10 went to sleep for the last time.
Space X Launch Facility
52448-, 54298, Boca Chica Blvd, Brownsville, TX 78521
