I Grew Up In A Country That

There's No Doubt Who Was A Leader In Space After The Apollo Program. Nobody Came Close To Us. And Our Education System, In Science, Technology, Engineering And Math, Was At The Top Of The World. It's No Longer There. We're Descending Rather Rapidly.

I Believe That Space Travel Will One Day Become As Common As Airline Travel Is Today. I'm Convinced, However, That The True Future Of Space Travel Does Not Lie With Government Agencies -- Nasa Is Still Obsessed With The Idea That The Primary Purpose Of The Space Program Is Science -- But Real Progress Will Come From Private Companies Competing To Provide The Ultimate Adventure Ride, And Nasa Will Receive The Trickle-down Benefits.

The G-forces Increased And I Wasn't Able To Continue To Hold The Camera Against The Window, So I Had To Lay It Back Against My Chest, But Still Continued To Photograph The Re-entry Until There Was No More Unusual Visual Effects Of The Energy In The Atmosphere. And It Was Very Comforting To Understand That The People In Houston, The Controllers, Had Very High Confidence That We Were On The Right Path.

As We Reflect Back Upon The Tragic Loss Of Challenger And Her Brave Crew Of Heroes Who Were Aboard That Fateful Day, I Am Reminded That They Truly Represented The Best Of Us, As They Climbed Aloft On A Plume Of Propellant Gasses, Reaching For The Stars, To Inspire Us Who Were Earthbound.

Training Was Very Extensive, And We Dealt With Many Recoveries From Emergencies, And Fortunately, Participating And Observing And Existing Through The Reality Of Space Was A Once-in-a-lifetime Experience And It Was Not Marred By Unexpected Hazards Or Catastrophes.