Elegy For Columbia (A Meditation)

(A meditation on the eighth anniversary of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster)

By Dave Bender

“Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings...”

"I took it all for granted, that those giant, incredibly complex machines and their crews would always reach their goal, always safely return.

"Until February 1, 2003, when urgent news reports ripped aside the serenity, candles and prayer that marked the close of another peaceful Sabbath in Jerusalem. STS -107, Space Shuttle Columbia was lost, the radio blared, its crew killed upon reentry."

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Israel 'Powering an Alternative Roadside Attraction'

Illustration courtesy of Innowwattech

Read my first story for Mother Nature Network:

Innowattech is touting what they call, “parasitic energy harvesting,” a system that exploits the motion of vehicles rolling over sturdy, flexible pads buried beneath the roadway. Company officials say their technology also works on airport runways, railway tracks and pedestrian sidewalks.

The company says their patented piezoelectric generators produce “energy from weight, motion, vibration and temperature changes.”