However, Columbia has provided a chance to alter America’s focus in space by showing the need for new launch vehicles. NASA spokesman Michael Braukus said that NASA’s Orbital Space Plane program is developing a vehicle to carry astronauts back from the International Space Station. Although Braukus said the shuttle “will still be used for heavy lifting,” OSP will one day regularly launch astronauts into orbit.
While OSP’s name suggests a plane-like vehicle, there are four proposed designs. These include a capsule, a sharp winged body, a blunt winged body and a lifting body. The final design could take NASA in a new direction, taking America further than the shuttle ever could.For people yearning to return to the glory days of Apollo, that time may not be far off.
“Even though we’re using off-the-shelf technology to develop this program, it could lead to things beyond earth orbit,” Braukus said.
Some say that NASA’s money could be better spent on earthbound projects. I disagree with that view for two reasons. First, space is the next frontier. Earth’s resources aren’t infinite, and someday people will need to look elsewhere for fuel, materials and living space. America must work now to avert a crisis in the future.
Second, many modern technologies came from the space program. Such “Spinoffs” range from the spiffy (solar powered calculators) to the extraordinary (MRIs and CAT scans), and have all touched our lives positively. To learn more, check out Spinoffs on the Web at www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/. After seeing these breakthroughs, the argument that the space agency’s money could be better spent elsewhere seems hollow.
Unlike China’s space program, NASA belongs to the people. It isn’t working to strengthen politicians’ prestige, it is working to make our lives better. If anything, the Chinese flight should inspire us to reflect on what NASA has done for us and on what we want it to do in the future.