The Shuttle's Last Flight: Why Space Still Matters

I was fortunate enough to get away from work for a few minutes yesterday to witness the much-hyped DC flyover of NASA's Discovery Space Shuttle, officially the last time a space shuttle of any sort will even leave the ground. The shuttle, which will now go to the Smithsonian Museum, left Cape Canaveral in the morning for Washington Dulles International Airport; in between, it stopped traffic, drew 9-5ers like myself from our desks, and wowed everyone else throughout the nation's capital by circling the city four times at low altitude.

I didn't take the picture to your left; I saw the shuttle only briefly out an office window and couldn't quite snap a photo, so the picture that you do see was actually taken by a friend of mine who works elsewhere in the city. What I can speak to, however, is the experience of being around a lot of people excited about seeing a space shuttle, and the good things that I think that says about our country in general.

Even looking out my window, every rooftop in sight was full of eager spectators, who weren't disappointed. After seeing the shuttle, I myself went outside to see if I could get a better view. Although the flyover was finished by then, there were still people milling about on sidewalks and, somewhat perilously, crosswalks; heads craned up toward the sky in anticipation as they asked total strangers if they had seen the shuttle, or if it had already passed over for good (as if anyone really knew). I was one of those strangers, asking a cowboy-hatted security guard next to the White House when it was going to come back. His answer made up for what it lacked in useful information with an equal dose of insight.

"That was just so COOL," the man cooed, "it flew right over the Washington monument. I can't believe it came that close to the ground."

Indeed. But the more amazing thing about the flyover was that I probably could have had the same conversation with anyone out in the street or on a roofdeck between the hours of 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. yesterday morning. What else could bring so many people out into the street at once on some idle Tuesday? What else could be so universally (excuse the pun) appealing that it made everyone forget about everything else they had to get done yesterday, in order to wait and see a space shuttle strapped to a 747?


It just goes to show that for all of the complaints among the cosmically-inclined about NASA's shrinking budget and the seemingly shrinking role of space exploration in general in American life, space still matters. The shuttle flyover was certainly historic, but here in Washington, the average working stiff doesn't just get worked up over any historic event. It's about why the flyover was historic. Why did people care so much about a space shuttle?

The answer lies in our past. For generations, space has captured the human imagination, but Americans in particular are heirs to a proud space history. Anyone over the age of 50 remembers the moon landing; the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum is one of the most popular in Washington. Meanwhile, while we glaze over plane crashes that kill hundreds before moving on, we mourn the loss of astronauts for weeks. Is this justified? Who knows. But we treat the men and women who go into orbit as conquering heroes, even 20 plus years after the official end of the space race. When it comes to the Space Shuttle, and we actually have the opportunity to see one of these things, we don't let ourselves miss it.

Space is truly the final frontier, and in a frontier nation trying to find its footing in a 21st century world, maybe it's one of the few things we can still count on. A country that needs more mathematicians and scientists could sure stand to have a few more kids staring at the stars, instead of the Xbox, and wondering what's out there. I remember when my dad bought me a telescope as a kid - it's not like I never watched TV, but getting a chance to look through that thing and see Jupiter and all of its actual colors, from my backyard here on Earth, was an experience I will never forget. It's inspired me to look up at the sky with a similar wonder today. To paraphrase the security guard I met yesterday morning, the fact that my country could endeavor to explore more of that vast and endless expanse, and do it successfully... that's cool.

Space advocate and internet darling Neil deGrasse Tyson has argued that the brainpower and scientific innovations that fueled our post-World War II economy stemmed from a scientific wonder partly fueled by the space race. Here's something that doesn't need an argument: the long list of consumer and everyday technologies developed through NASA research. Either way, the point is clear. Caring about space is good for the country, and good for the economy. As Tyson says, "Space is a $300 billion industry worldwide. NASA is a tiny percent of that. [But] that little bit is what inspires dreams."

I'm not ready to say that a gaggle of office workers pouring out into the streets to watch a space shuttle fly by means that America is ready to double NASA's budget, as Tyson advocates, or otherwise reinvigorate the nation's flagging space program. But on one day, for one hour, space was cool again in our capital city, and if we can harness even a little bit of that energy I felt in the streets yesterday morning, just blocks from the headquarters of the leader of the free world, America's future, and the world's, will remain bright.

Did you catch the shuttle flyover yesterday morning? What does space mean to you? The comments section awaits...