Discovery Over D.C.

This past week saw the Space Shuttle Discovery flying over Washington, D.C., on its way to the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.  Discovery, the first orbiter retired from NASA’s shuttle fleet, completed 39 missions, spent 365 days in space, orbited the Earth 5,830 times, and traveled 148,221,675 miles.  It will replace another shuttle, the Enterprise, which will be traveling to NYC.  

I am just glad someone notified Washington, D.C., about the flight, unlike a Air Force One flyby in NYC years ago that led to jeers rather than cheers (and some running for cover). 

The nation witnesses the mothballing of another phase of its space mission while not really knowing what is to follow.  While we hear about a possible trip to an asteroid in 2025, we are not hearing anything to stir the soul. 

This flyby cost about anywhere from $8 million to $11 million, according to U.S. News and World Report, but we have endless funds for our space program, right?  We had to get it to D.C. somehow, but I also wish we had such funds for more space contests so we could create the next amazing craft to someday populate more museums.  I remember visiting a sad little space museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, where the remnants of their space program was on display.  A mighty program had come to this (though we are still dependent on some of the Russians to get to the International Space Station, of course).  I know the Smithsonian will do better, but we need more than nostalgia - we need new ideas and greater dreams.