Monday, September 28, 2026

Flight 14 in the history books

It looks like a complete success. Good splashdown for the booster. Good splashdown for the Ship. It went orbital as planned. It deployed the Starlink satellites.



But something hangs like a dark cloud over it all.

Maybe it is just me. Maybe it isn't as big an accomplishement as I think it should be.

Alan Shepard got a ticket tape parade, if memory serves. So I asked AI. Did he get one? The answer:

Ticket Tape Parade for Alan Shepard

Overview

Yes, there was a ticker tape parade for Alan Shepard following his historic suborbital flight in 1961. This event celebrated his achievement as the first American in space.

Details of the Parade

Date: The parade took place shortly after Shepard's flight on May 5, 1961. Location: The celebration occurred in New York City, a traditional site for such parades honoring American heroes.

Significance: The event marked a significant moment in the early space race, showcasing national pride and excitement about space exploration.

Context of the Space Race

Alan Shepard's flight was a pivotal moment for the United States, occurring shortly after the Soviet Union's Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space.

The ticker tape parade was part of a broader public enthusiasm for space exploration during the early 1960s, which included various media portrayals and public discussions about the future of space travel.

This celebration highlighted the importance of Shepard's achievement and the growing interest in the U.S. space program.

Comment:

A short observation, and then I will quit. I recall this because I was alive at the time. I remember this country as being a lot more patriotic. There's a lack of patriotism. It all seemed to start in the sixties. Shepherd's ticket tape would be probably one of the last of these kind of events.

That's it. That's all I will say. Something has changed in this country. It doesn't look like a good thing to me.

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