Space Shuttle Discovery - Nasa's Final Launch 2011

My childhood was spent watching NASA shoot rockets into the sky. I watched as man walked on the moon; a small black and white TV placed under Berserker Street State School in Rockhampton, and 350 kids, smelling of sweat and slight fear and apprehension, holding our breath to listen to Neil Armstrong speak.

Later, the Space Shuttle was launched, and I gasped as it glided home and landed like a 'normal' plane.

My youngest son - desperate to be an astronaut as a child, now studies aerospace engineering, in the hope of redesigning planes and one day, perhaps space rockets. Will he? No one can see the future, but I love that he is reaching for the stars.

This is a recording of the last Discovery Space Shuttle, and I must admit to feeling slightly overwhelmed as I watched the marriage of science and physics come into play with man's imagination and desire. Good luck. Safe home.
PS: Make sure you see 5.00 minutes into clip, for debris.