The space shuttle Discovery is about to wrap up its final flight, and soon the whole program will be history. I know that we can debate the scientific benefits of the program vs the costs, but I think there's a bigger issue, something symbolic.
Our manned space program was a symbol of a time of pride, a time when we all looked up to the stars and dreamed big dreams about big changes. Now, we are reduced to looking down at the ground and dreaming of finding small change.
Discovery shuttle was an elegant workhorse. Yet, we should ask, "A shuttle to what?" To the Space Station, of course. Shuttling people and tons of very expensive high tech equipment - to do what? Do do science in space, whatever that means, besides zero gravity. Strange that after years of "space science" nothing of the results have ever appeared in a scientific journal. Hymn. Have we been fooled all this time by NASA chiefs?
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