Remembering Space Shuttle Challenger

We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, 

as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and 

“slipped the surly bonds of earth” to "touch the face of God." 

This week, candidates seeking the Republican Party's nomination for U.S. President made headlines by discussing current and proposed national space policy, including a proposal by former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrinch, who called for the establishment of a moon base by 2014.  

The question remains, however, how important is space exploration (and exploitation) to most Americans and are resources and interest sufficient for meaningful advancements?

 

As presidential candidates debate where our nation will go, today is important to reflect on where it has been and how far (or not) we have come in terms of national aerospace policy.

 

Twenty-six years ago, on January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy occurred.  The event shocked the national psyche, its impact drawing comparisons to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the terrorism of September 11, 2001.