Spacey Stacey

So, I have earned the nickname "Spacey Stacey" because I am semi-infatuated with NASA and the Space Program and Race of the '60's and 70's. When the Tom Hanks mini-series "From the Earth to the Moon" debueted on HBO years ago, I made sure to tape all 12 episodes. I have little use for them since this past Christmas when I received the DVD set from my dear husband. When we were on vacation in May/June in Florida, I insisted (without much resistance, I might add) we go to the Kennedy Space Center so I could feed my obsession. This is where the nickname was born...ask Melissa, Adam, Scott or Jenn.

I tell you this because of all that is going on with the Shuttle this trip to orbit and the outcry for the Shuttle program to cease and for space exploration to stop until the next better exploration vehicle comes along.

I think it is selling the experts short - to stop the progress before it even has a chance to settle in. NASA scientists have been working for decades to get where they are today...AND over the past 50 years, there have been plenty of tragedies, most notably Apollo 1, Apollo 13 and of course the Challenger. But there were plenty more in the Mercury and Gemini programs before those. We overcame those obstacles and learned how to fix them to make the next mission better.

I ask - What happened to good ol' American perseverance? Why the sudden change of heart? The astronauts know the risks when they sign up otherwise they wouldn't be doing what they are doing. They put their lives on the line for science and for exploration and for finding new and better ways to use what we have.

An Op/Ed piece in today's New York Times sums it up very well. It is written by former Apollo Flight Director, Eugene Kranz. Check it out, let me know what you think.