Space Shuttle Atlantis

Just watched the 32nd launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis on CNN. It was surreal to hear the sterile radio comments from NASA about how the shuttle was reaching 13000mph(!) and to see the curve of the Earth slowly come into view. Meanwhile the news ticker beneath the live footage was scrolling through headlines about Somali pirates (again), Chinese mine accidents, violence in Indonesia, the oil disaster in the Gulf. Puts it all in a very weird perspective about how small our problems are compared to what's out there. Just imagine the galactic problems that await! Martian mine collapse: President Bieber to address nation. Jupiter secedes from United Solar System. Plutonian pirates shot dead by sniper hiding behind Neptune.