Opinion

Space program must continue

Matthew Caster
Opinion Columnist

At 8:00 a.m. Saturday morning, all talk of Iraq, North Korea, the economy, and the other nonsense I usually write about was wiped off the front pages, and thus the Opinion pages. Americans everywhere turned their focus to grieving for the seven brave astronauts who lost their lives when the space shuttle Columbia broke apart while trying to reenter Earthis atmosphere.

Truly it is one of Americais saddest hours, and the entire country will continue to mourn the great loss our space program and our nation have suffered.

As soon as our need to grieve has been satisfied, as a nation we must turn our eyes once again towards the future of the space program. Ever since the dawn of the space age, and especially during its heyday in the late 1960s and early i70s, Americais visionary spirit has been on the cutting edge of science and technology. Even now, as Americans, Europeans and Russians build and populate the International Space Station, our commitment to the exploration of space remains.

The only difference between now and then is funding. NASAis budget is now a rather large fraction of what it was during the 1960s. Some lawmakers from both parties have mistakenly believed that beating the Russians to the moon was the only priority of the space program. The result of budget cuts over the years may very well have been the disaster many of us woke to last Saturday.

In times of grief, America becomes motivated to expand and improve, in an effort not only to ease the grief, but also to honor a memory. This situation is no different. The six Americans and one Israeli who perished in the Columbia would certainly feel this is not a reason to cease space exploration. On the contrary, I believe they would want their sacrifice to serve as a catalyst to empower the future of NASA and perhaps the human race.

Even before the shuttle disaster, President Bushis newest budget proposal called for increases in NASAis funding. These desperately needed funds will continue to make the safety of the astronauts a top priority, perhaps averting future disasters. However, NASA needs more than just a 3 percent budget increase. At the dawn of the new millennium, a new vision is needed.

In the early i60s, President Kennedy challenged the people of this country to place a man on the moon and return him safely to earth within the decade. Kennedyis assassination, along with the death of three Apollo I astronauts, motivated our nation to achieve that goal. Similar idealism is needed now, for there is so much more exploration and research to undertake.

The space shuttle program has built a valuable foundation on which the future of space relies. After all the safety checks and investigations, something tells me another shuttle will soon take flight, carrying another crew of brave explorers eager to face the potential perils of space flight for the advancement of knowledge. It is my hope that from this disaster will come the motivation to continue and expand.

The tragic loss of seven heroes over the weekend is a difficult burden for a nation already troubled by the threat of war and economic distress.

A hundred years from now, when Americans have once again walked on the surface of the moon, or begun the colonization of Mars, it will be due to the great courage our brave astronauts have always shown.

Caster, a senior petroleum engineering major, can be reached at patrioticcatmaster@yahoo.com.