Picture of the day - June 10, 2007

Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Atlantis

Photo courtesy of NASA. Last Friday at 7:38 pm, the sky above NASA's Kennedy Space center lit up and the ground shook as the Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off from Launch Pad 39A. A shuttle launch is a spectacular event, and everyone who has the opportunity to witness one from the viewing gallery goes home with the feeling that they have just enjoyed the experience of a lifetime. Since Atlantis' scheduled liftoff had been delayed for three months due to hail damage, it was great to see Friday's launch go off without a hitch. The seven member crew of shuttle mission STS-117 will deliver and install several critical pieces of the International Space Station. The space shuttle program has certainly had its share of trouble and turmoil, but any project of this magnitude and complexity is destined to run into a serious problem from time to time. Overall, the program has been a magnificent success. It has exponentially expanded our knowledge of the universe in which we live, and we keep learning more and more about it every day. God gave us human beings the desire and capability to explore His wondrous creations in outer space, and I believe it gives Him great pleasure when we blast off and leave our planet in search of them. He spoke into existence countless galaxies, stars, planets, moons and other heavenly bodies, and I believe He placed them out there for reasons that go far beyond making the night sky a beautiful thing for us to look at. It's up to us to do our very best to try to learn about everything that He has made.   Visit the POTD Archives for previous "Pictures Of The Day"!     Submit a photo of your own!            Why I publish the "Picture of the Day"