The last space shuttle of the US manned space program launched today and with conditions that couldn't have been better. The US government has shut down a 50 year program that "launched" us into a new era of technology and discovery. The shuttle program was started in 1981 and has launched 132 shuttles into space including the final one this morning. I am not, of course, a NASA engineer nor a politician, but I think it’s a huge mistake to give up such a huge stake in space exploration. The reasons I have heard are everything from financial issues, to changing technology even to conspiracy type ideas like the powers that be switching world powers... though I don't put much stock in the latter. No matter the reason I find it sad that so many people who have such a life investment in the program are just let go and forced to hang up their childhood dreams of space. This of course doesn't mean that we are no longer researching space it’s just no longer going to be seen as the final frontier by the US government.NASA is adjusting to what they are calling a commercial space flight program where small companies will be able to pick up the slack that NASA leaves behind. This will undoubtedly redefine the astronaut and what space travel will look like. If anything good was to come of this I suppose it would be that a new industry will be created supplying new jobs. Who knows... maybe this will be the beginning of public space transportation here in the states. Still, I am sad to see a legacy of NASA come to an end.
Read an article at www.thenewamerican.com for more on the last shuttle launch.
No comments:
Post a Comment