With the final flight of the stalwart space shuttle Atlantis just a few days away, America is beginning an exciting new chapter in human space exploration. This chapter centers on full utilization of the International Space Station, development of multiple, made-in-America capabilities for astronauts and cargo to reach low-Earth orbit, and pursuit of two critical building blocks for our nation's exploration future: a deep space crew vehicle and an evolvable, heavy-lift rocket. Today, we embark on a new knowledge and innovation-driven approach to space science and exploration that will lead us into the new frontiers of deep space. Critical to this new chapter in human space exploration are continued investments in science and technology that will ensure our nation's prosperity in the 21st century.
The technology used to develop the space shuttle, which first flew more than three decades ago, was the most advanced and cutting-edge in the world at the time. This remarkable vehicle has provided a means for extraordinary accomplishments and discoveries for 30 years. The Baltimore-operated Hubble Space Telescope, which has transformed our understanding of the universe, was deployed by the shuttle and serviced four times by shuttle-ferried astronauts. A one-of-a-kind, three-dimensional map of 90 percent of the Earth's surface was made using a spaceborne pair of radars mounted on a 198-foot boom extending from the shuttle's cargo bay. Most notably, America and its international partners have constructed the most sophisticated scientific laboratory ever — a football-field-sized research facility in space — using the space shuttle as our construction workhorse. Because of our nation's up-front investments in science and technology, the shuttle's legacy will continue with the remarkable research that is yet to come from the International Space Station.
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Author: Waleed Abdalati and Robert Braun
