Watching a launch is a thing of beauty.  It is an assault on our eyes, for there is no other color like it.  It is an assault on our ears hearing the successive snare of explosions like someone is beating on our chest in time to our own heartbeat.  And when that fireball rises up, carrying this monument of humanity with it, we cannot help but feel connected to every living organism on this planet.  It’s what we do.  It’s what we must do, and yes, it defies the logic of ignoring the mysteries of our own planet, in search of the mysteries beyond our reach, but watching one of these… up close, we realize we have no other choice but to do so.