Of ants, rocks, sound waves from space

At one time I worked for a newspaper owned by a group deeply involved in covering the U.S. space program. That news company division owned the only still photo lab at Cape Canaveral. The lab was a pool for all still photo coverage. News agencies could pick and choose from the best pictures. Current events often prod me to dredge up long ago memories. The recent death of longtime newspaper friend Bert West prompted me to recollect my one and only experience “covering” a space launch by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).