posted 06-28-2017 05:58 PM               

Please forgive the self-indulgence, but this is my last column for Aviation Week & Space Technology. I'm retiring at the end of the month, after 44 years as what once was called a print journalist — most of it specializing in space exploration. "Print journalist" seems anachronistic today, when you probably are reading these words on an electronic screen. Spaceflight, my favorite topic, has changed a lot since Sputnik, too. Here are some lessons I've learned about it.