But I didn't get to see it making its final air flight into Washington, D.C. Yes, the old bird has been mothballed for museum enjoyment only. I was out for my two-miler timed, of course, to coincide with the scheduled flyover. I'd almost completed my circuit when I heard the unmistakable roar created by a low-flying jet.

The leafy treeline obstructed my view, but I knew what the noisemaker was, all right. A few of the neighbors were out in their yards, gazing up into the sky. Yeah, it was something to get choked up about.

Now I read for the next few years, NASA astronauts will use tickets costing millions for rides in the Russian Soyuz capsules in order to reach the International Space Station. That's a royal shocker for you. I remember the night of the first moonwalk. That made for international riveting TV viewing.

Still, I suppose the lull will be worth it as NASA and private industry get ramped up for whatever comes next. Mars colonization? That monumental event streamed back to earth would top the moonwalk, no?