50 Years From Sputnik

Just a short note today, since I'm busy with all manner of things, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention October 4th's coolest birthday, the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik and the real beginning of the space age. Anyone with an interest in science, science fiction or both should look to the skies today and remember that only half a century ago, there were no satellites, no space stations, no shuttles. We are 50 years old today as an orbiting, space-going race, and that seems almost impossibly young. It's a good day to reflect on what we've accomplished in those 50 years, not least the first two space superpowers avoiding blowing each other up. It's also a good day to reflect on what we haven't done. Within 12 years of the Sputnik launch, a man was standing on the moon, but we only went back a handful of times, and no human has set foot on the moon in 35 years. I used to work in the desert, where on a clear night you could look up and see dozens of satellites criss-crossing the sky at what seemed like ridiculous speeds. Now, from town, they're hidden from me, but I'll still take a minute tonight and look out the window, knowing that the metal children of our fifty-year flirtation with space are out there.