A News Worthy Day
It could have been the fact that I had the flu and had to lie around all day and watch the news, but by the end of the day I commented to my wife, there sure seemed like there was a lot going on today. Normally all you hear about is how someone is gaining or losing the most points in the latest opinion polls or who is winning when there is not even a primary and there is no one voting.
But today there was some real news going on and a lot of it all at once. Some of which had to wait its turn and be delayed while other major events took place.
February 20, 2008, was not just like any other day! A movie of all the events that occurred on this day would be great.
Early morning snow storm causes traffic pile ups across country. 20 plus vehicle pile up on I-94 near Michigan City.
9:07 a m EST The space Shuttle Atlantis lands safely at Kennedy Space Center. The Navy was preparing to shoot down a spy satellite and had to delay the attempt due to the landing of Atlantis. Who would have thought that we would see the time when it would be so busy in space that one mission a quarter of the way around the world would get in the way of another mission over the Pacific ocean. It was starting out to be a busy day. I was able to watch live as the shuttle broke the sonic barrier and guided over Florida from the South West, breaking through the clouds for a perfect touch down at Cape Canaveral. 29 flights over 22 years brings the Atlantis close to retirement with the second greatest number of flights of the current shuttle fleet.
1:00 p m EST Two F-15Cs Air force fighter jets collide over the Gulf of Mexico. One pilot died and the other was rescued.
1:08 p m EST A 7.5 magnitude earthquake strikes Indonesia.
10:26 p.m. EST A SM-3 missile was launched by the USS Lake Erie, positioned northwest of Hawaii. The missile intercepted the satellite about 153 nautical miles above the Earth, just before it began to enter the atmosphere. This proved to the world our capacity to protect our country from space borne objects and a possible the start of a new era in space.
The spy satellite malfunctioned soon after it was launched in 2006, making it unresponsive to ground control. The satellite, orbiting Earth every 90 minutes or so, was expected to fall to Earth in February or March with its tank of hydrazine intact, possibly endangering human populations. The Navy reported that they actually hit the tank located on the satellite.
10:26 p.m. EST A total eclipse of the Moon which started at 8:43 p.m. and ended at Midnight. I wonder if the Navy choose that exact time so that they would have the darkest sky for the missile hit on the malfunctioning satellite?
There are some days that are easily remembered, however I doubt that February 20, 2008, will be remembered by many for very long. But then there was Bill Clinton stating": If she wins Texas and Ohio I think she will be the nominee. If you don't deliver for her, I don't think she can be. It's all on you," Even Clinton's husband, Bill Clinton, acknowledged the do-or-die stakes on Wednesday in Beaumont, Texas, conceding that a loss in Texas or Ohio would likely doom her candidacy. The election process dominated the news on February 20, overshadowing some really big events!
Hillary lost Texas and won Ohio.
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