Space: The Final Frontier.

The countdown to the final space shuttle mission has started. It's hard to believe that it is thirty years since Columbia, the first space shuttle was launched on 12th April 1981. I remember being glued to the TV watching it, much the same as when I was glued to the TV as a child  for the Apollo 11 moon landings in 1969 - amazing! The launch of the shuttle Atlantis on the 8th July 2011 is a historic event and the end of an era.

I regularly check out the NASA website, and watch the live stream from the space station, which is oddly compelling. It blows my mind to think that this is all happening while I'm checking in journals and issuing books!

At the time of writing this, I am watching a live broadcast via NASA TV, absolutely fascinating.

Just imagine being a librarian in the NASA Headquarters Library!

The downside is that people are losing their jobs - contracts are not being renewed after Atlantis touches down and house prices in the Kennedy Space Centre area have fallen.