Returned

Kennedy Space Center's current director, Robert Cabana, flew the space shuttle four times as commander. He has sadly watched the pad from which he took off, pad 39A, lay unused and "rusting away" since the last shuttle launch in 2011.

But yesterday that changed. After a horrible failed launch last summer, SpaceX successfully launched a cargo re-supply mission to the International Space Station right there on 39A. After about 10 minutes, the first stage of the re-usable Falcon 9 rocket came back down safely at Cape Canaveral Air Force base - SpaceX's second such landing at this place.

If everything goes according to plan, SpaceX will launch a mission crew - people - in about a year from this spot. 

It's all part of CEO Elon Musk's goal to take human beings to Mars.

(cont'd tomorrow)