The advance of civilization? The text is interesting.
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080316.html
Explanation: Birds don't fly as high.
Airplanes don't go as fast. The
Statue of Liberty weighs less. No
species other than human can even comprehend what is going on, nor could any
human just a
millennium ago. The launch of a
rocket bound for space is an event that
inspires awe and challenges description. The
exhaust column pictured is from the
Space Shuttle Endeavour after last week's
night launch to visit the
International Space Station. Endeavour's rocket engines create the dramatic glow from above the clouds. From a standing start, the two million kilogram
rocket ship left to circle the
Earth where the outside air is too thin to breathe and where there is
little noticeable onboard gravity.
Rockets bound for space are now
launched from somewhere on Earth
about once a week.