Captain Tim Kinsella, commanding officer of NAS Pensacola from the Pensacola News Journal
Every now and again a story pops up that takes us out of our COVID-induced funk and reminds us that, despite all of our troubles, the world we live in can be joyful, uplifting, and inspiring. Recently, this wonderful city of Pensacola was slap, bang in the middle of one of those stories, and for just a few short moments we were able to look to the skies together and collectively enjoy our moment on the world stage.
All over the globe, millions of people watched as NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley careened through the atmosphere at a blistering pace that was more than twenty times the speed of sound, destined for a spot in the ocean 30 miles off the coast of Pensacola. We held our breath as we waited for the SpaceX Dragon capsule to safely come through the communications blackout, anxiously anticipating that first radio call to report “all conditions normal.”