Spacebat was daring and brave, and had that special grace, that special spirit that says, "Give me a challenge and I'll meet it with joy." He had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. He wished to serve, and he did. He served all of us.
413 years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast of Panama. In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans, and a historian later said, "He lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it." Well, today we can say of Spacebat: His dedication was, like Drake's, complete.
Spacebat honored us by the manner in which he lived his life. We will never forget him, nor the last time we saw him, as he prepared for his journey and waved good-bye and "slipped the surly bonds of earth" to "touch the face of God."