We're going back to SPACE!

[Bonefish]

In about 4 or 5 hours, we're going to launch astronauts from american soil, into orbit, for the first time in 9 years! Is anyone else stoked about this?

[Tahlvin]

Hell yes!

[Mike]

I'm hoping to watch the launch. We need this. I'm hoping it goes flawlessly and the reduction in launch costs means a more vigorous US space program.

Getting people excited about space again would also be cool

[Bonefish]

I'm watching the livestream right now, and one of the things that's amazing is how sleek and high tech the controls look: touch screens and a much smaller amount of displays and buttons and switches than the Shuttle. Which, i mean, it's 2020, not 1979. But, dang, that's a big deal.

[bralbovsky]

Love the miracle of solid-state...much more reliable, maybe zero moving parts...

One (maybe the only) downside: if it fails, there's only system redundancy to save you...no more cobbling together a solution from spare parts.

[Phoebe]

The launch was awesome, the docking was awesome, and I'm super excited because I got to take my youngest kid outside and watch the space station fly across the sky one evening. We could not believe how large it looks, how bright - I was thinking it might be difficult to identify, but not at all. So cool!

[Bonefish]

I've still got butteflies in my stomach until Bob and Doug get back(Chris too, for that matta!). But this looks like a bright new opportunity, allowing more science to be collected from the ISS for the last few years of it's lifespan.