Farewell to NASA’s Space Shuttle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEHCaZtWCnY

Today’s the day, the last launch from our space shuttle program. I couldn’t bring myself to watch it live because of the sadness that it’s all ending. It’s been a wonderfully stupendous ride with NASA’s dedicated crew. Many have pondered the necessity for such a costly and uncertain program, but my response is “How could we not pursue this opportunity?”

Mankind has conquered many unknown frontiers because of our deep seated curiosity to know everything that there is to know. Nothing has been a barrier to our thirst for knowledge. It’s amazing that we’ve we’ve come this far since the start of our fascination with this final frontier. Our ancient ancestors looked into the night sky and marveled at the brilliance that was overhead. The magic of this sky whispered its siren call to those intrepid explorers who dared to dream that we would someday touch the sky. And from our initial fledgling takeoffs into the wild blue yonder, we continued to push further into that unknown. We saw the news footage of President Kennedy as we took off for the moon, stating that we made this choice not because it was easy, but because it was hard. He was also right that this is a just cause.

As an avid supporter of space exploration, I’ve marveled at all that we’ve accomplished since our first tentative steps into that dark vacuum that surrounds our fragile cradle of life. Those images that are sent back by the various space platforms over these many years have only become more detailed and awe-inspiring. It has shown us that we really are inhabiting a pale blue dot in a vast ocean of darkness that holds many wonders much greater than those we’ve already discovered. I truly believe that the best is yet to come.

We will continue to explore past the limits of our imagination because it is who we are. We will never stand still because we must continue to grow. We will never flinch at any difficulty because there will always be a way to overcome it.

We have gained so much in this quest for outer space in all walks of life. Every discipline had a hand in making today’s modern world. But it was mankind who choose to start this quest, and it will be mankind who chooses to continue this quest. The decision is in our hands to continue to pursue all of the space exploration programs, both large and small. We would be foolish to turn our backs on it by saying that we’ve already accomplished enough and have problems on this planet to solve. This is true, but too small a view. Just like Earth has its own ecosystem, Earth is also part of the larger solar system. We are the guardians of her, and we owe it to her to keep her safe in every way possible. Space exploration has fostered so much knowledge that shows us how to do this. We’ve only touched the surface of what’s waiting to be discovered. It’s a vast universe out there, with many more outside of our own solar system. We’re currently nothing but infants, and need to continue to grow and mature to become responsible adults so that we can be the true guardians that Earth deserves.

Kudos, NASA, for a job well done. We hope that you continue to inspire us to keep seeking for more!

More information about our space history from NASA.

Space exploration timeline by Sea and Sky

Space exploration by National Geographic

Those who came before us made certain that this country rode the first waves of the industrial revolutions, the first waves of modern invention, and the first wave of nuclear power, and this generation does not intend to founder in the backwash of the coming age of space. We mean to be a part of it–we mean to lead it. For the eyes of the world now look into space, to the moon and to the planets beyond, and we have vowed that we shall not see it governed by a hostile flag of conquest, but by a banner of freedom and peace. We have vowed that we shall not see space filled with weapons of mass destruction, but with instruments of knowledge and understanding. – President John F Kennedy, September 12, 1962