Space Shuttle Atlantis is poised to launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida Sunday. Its crew is ready to attempt one of the most ambitious, jam-packed missions in the history of the space program, resuming construction of the international space station.
Six astronauts are to fly Atlantis and the heaviest cargo ever lifted by a space shuttle into Earth orbit and dock with the frontier outpost. During the next week, two pairs of spacewalking astronauts will take turns attaching a 45-foot-long, 17-ton aluminum girder outfitted with a giant electricity-generating solar wing that, when unfurled, will stretch nearly the length of a football field. The arrays will provide increased electrical power essential for the addition of European and Japanese science laboratories.
The work will be tough. In fact, the complexity of this shuttle mission rivals the technical challenges faced during Project Apollo and the first moon landings. Undoubtedly these astronauts, who have trained together for more than three years, will make it look deceptively easy.
Of course, it is not easy. The work is physically and mentally challenging. And astronauts do face life-or-death risks. But it is worth it. As a veteran of four space shuttle missions, I can assure you it is also a lot of fun.
The work necessary to build the space station should make every American proud of what the best and brightest among us are capable of accomplishing. The space station has been called the greatest engineering marvel ever constructed – and the job is not even complete. We still have another four years of work ahead, during which time the size of the space station will more than double. Each upcoming shuttle mission will grow the outpost, enabling more work and greater research.
All of this bodes well for our future in space and our ability to make life better on Earth.
With the successful completion of this upcoming 12-day flight, NASA will have demonstrated that it is fully and confidently heading in the direction of promising new horizons for the first time since the 2003 Columbia tragedy.
That future includes returning humans to the moon for the first time since 1972 and sending robot explorers out into the solar system to pave the way for humans to follow, first at Mars and then destinations beyond. Along the way, we will develop new tools and technology that will help solve the problems of space flight yet have the kind of practical benefits for all of us on Earth that we can not even imagine right now.
A return to the moon is expected no later than 2020, with a crewed trip to Mars likely to follow another decade or so later. Today’s college students will have a chance to walk on the moon, while the first Earth- born Martians are now in elementary schools. We must strive to keep kids excited about math and science so we are able to inspire tomorrow’s explorers and propel them toward their promising future.
New rockets (called Ares) and a new spacecraft, the Crew Exploration Vehicle called Orion, will take our astronauts back to the moon and on to Mars, replacing the space shuttle and taking humans into space starting about 2012.
As these new capabilities are developed, the NASA team will gain experience working in space and meeting its commitment to its international partners by continuing to fly the space shuttle and finishing assembly of the International Space Station by the end of 2010.
NASA certainly could use more money to pay for these exploration plans while also conducting its aeronautics research and science programs. But for now, the agency will do its best to live with a budget that amounts to six-tenths of 1 percent of every federal tax dollar. According to recent Gallup polls, more than two-thirds of Americans consistently support NASA’s exploration plans so long as the agency’s budget does not rise above 1 percent of the tax bill. Clearly, there is more support for NASA among the public than is reflected in the annual federal budget process.
Another successful space shuttle mission for NASA will continue to buoy that public and political support, as well as inspire the next generation of explorers to pursue their dreams.
Godspeed the crew of Atlantis.
Guion Bluford serves on the Space Foundation’s board of directors. He is a four-time shuttle astronaut and was the first African-American in space.
