I was awed to notice that surfing the net these past couple of days. The International Space Station was launched on November 20, 1998, so that would indeed make it just barely 10 years old. I think it was 16 countries that are involved in it – I could be wrong on that since I’m recalling that from memory and am too lazy to go look it up right now. Wow! I remember when the project first took shape – seems like only yesterday. It was right around the time Hillary Clinton began talking about running for Senate while her hubby Bill was still in the top spot. So, how has the space station done in its first decade of existence? Not so well, I believe, is the answer. Its taken way longer to produce than was originally anticipated. There have been setbacks along the way. Then again, much of our general worldview is now different than it was before – 1998 was pre-9/11, if that has anything to do with the whole thing, really.
I like to stay optimistic when it comes to scientific breakthroughs. This is especially true when it comes to astronomy, which I maintain a personal interest in. Some members of NASA have told the public that they do not worry about the setbacks and that, when it is finally completed, it will be used for trips to the Moon, Mars and beyond. God knows when that will be – but it will be awesome!
A lot of people look down on the prospect of space exploration because they see no tangible value to it. After all, if we have so many problems here on Earth, why are we wasting our time traveling in space instead of solving those? While I understand and respect this viewpoint, I beg to differ. I think that while there has not been as much real benefit as one may hope, that it is a key to greater progress of mankind. Somewhere in space may lie answers to some of the questions we have about other areas of science and possibly even greater questions about existence and the cosmos in general. My grandfather was a NASA engineer and he would probably share my opinion on this – though he would hold sympathy for some who believe otherwise.
Check out this website for more updates on the progress of the International Space Station:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
