Well, the launch was wonderful. I'm sure you can all find better coverage of it elsewhere.

For me, these kinds of landmarks just drive home how intelligence acts as a lever to achieve what nothing else can. Very little was spent, relative to the kinds of sums we spend every day on piddling things, in order to build, test, and launch this spaceplane. It was the intelligence of the design, the foresight of the engineers, and the vision of it's planners that was showcased, and that sets it apart from almost any other space venture that has yet flown. This was not a gross display of national power, or grim flexing of military research dollars. There were few speeches about the purpose, or message meant to drive home.

That's why, as I stood on the desert playa, and squinted into the sun as the contrails climbed into the stratosphere, I could enjoy the moment, as pure unadulterated accomplishment, and promise.

What a time to be.

I had best get back to work, though. Rocketeers are not the only ones working in basements, on shoestring budgets, for great promise. One can't let Rutan have all the headlines, after all.