The end of a space era

It's sad to see the end of the space shuttle era. I remember being excited to watch the very first launch whilst at school. I remember exactly where I was when Challenger was destroyed: at university stood in a dinner queue. I remember watching when they deployed (and then later fixed) Hubble. Again, I can remember where I was when Columbia was destroyed: at home watching! I've even been to see a launch and heard it come back a week or so later.

So it's fair to say that I grew up with the shuttle over these past 30 years and it's going to be strange not having it around any more. Despite the fact that it may never have been the perfect launch vehicle (I still recall early discussions around HOTOL, for instance), I think it did it's job well. I know I'll miss it.