The following quotes about the space shuttle program come from http://www.spacequotes.com The shuttle tomorrow is truly like laying the last spike on the transcontinental railroad, only much more so. And whether or not we're going to see in in the next 10 or 20 years, there are people alive today who will see manufacturing in space from moon materials or from asteroids. — Jerry Brown, Governor of California, 1977. The fourth landing of the Columbia is the historical equivalent of the driving of the golden spike which completed the first transcontinental railroad. It marks our entrance into a new era. — President Ronald Reagan, regards the final test flight of the Space Shuttle, STS-4, 4 July 1982. The Shuttle is to space flight what Lindbergh was to commercial aviation. — Arthur C. Clarke Anyone who sits on top of the largest hydrogen-oxygen fueled system in the world; knowing they're going to light the bottom—and doesn't get a little worried—does not fully understand the situation. — John Young, after being asked if he was worried about making the first Space Shuttle flight. Let's face it, space is a risky business. I always considered every launch a barely controlled explosion. — Aaron Cohen, NASA administrator. The powered flight took a total of about eight and a half minutes. It seemed to me it had gone by in a lash. We had gone from sitting still on the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center to traveling at 17,500 miles an hour in that eight and a half minutes. It is still mind-boggling to me. I recall making some statement on the air-to-ground radio for the benefit of my fellow astronauts, who had also been in the program a long time, that it was well worth the wait. — Bob Crippen, STS-1 astronaut, regards first flight of the Space Shuttle, 12 April 1981. |
This vehicle is performing like a champ. I've got a super spaceship under me. — Bob Crippen, STS-1 astronaut, regards the Space Shuttle Columbia, 12 April 1981. The dream is alive. — John Young, after landing the first Space Shuttle STS-1 at Edwards Air Force Base, 14 April 1981. Through you, we feel as giants, once again. — President Ronald Reagan, to the crew of Columbia after their completion of the first shuttle mission, 14 April 1981.. TIn the 19th Century people were looking for the Northwest Passage. Ships were lost and brave people were killed, but that doesn't mean we never went back to that part of the world again, and I consider it the same in space exploration. — John L. Phillips, astronaut. The route to the target is more important than the target. We are going to go for the target, but we enjoy the route as well. — Israeli Air Force Col. Ilan Ramon, to reporters on the eve of his Space Shuttle flight, 16 January 2003. STS-107 was lost on re-entry on 1 February 2003 Some say that we should stop exploring space, that the cost in human lives is too great. But Columbia's crew would not have wanted that. We are a curious species, always wanting to know what is over the next hill, around the next corner, on the next island. And we have been that way for thousands of years. — Stuart Atkinson, New Mars, Mar. 7, 2003. Some things simply are inherent to the design of the bird and cannot be made better without going and getting a new generation of spacecraft. That's as true for the Space Shuttle as it is for your toaster oven. — Michael Griffin, NASA Administrator, regards Space Shuttle safety, eve of launch of STS-114, 25 July 2005 Every one of us is aware there is a slightly increased risk if you compare it to the day-to-day risk that we might be exposed to driving on the streets or going on commercial airlines. Each of us, independent of our nationality or space agency, believes the experience we gain in terms of scientific results, in terms of just expanding our horizons, is worth the remaining risk. —German astronaut Thomas Reiter, a few days prior to launch of STS-121, reported in the Houston Chronicle newspaper, 25 June 2006 Of course risk is part of spaceflight. We accept some of that to achieve greater goals in exploration and find out more about ourselves and the universe. — Lisa Nowak, STS-121 astronaut, a few days prior to launch, reported in the Houston Chronicle newspaper, 25 June 2006. In 1972 we had three guys exploring the Moon, making discoveries. In 2002 we have three guys circling the Earth, making repairs. — Richard Fienberg, Sky & Telescope magazine editorial on the state of space flight 30 years after the last lunar landing. December, 2002. The vast majority of the shuttle program was a success. We learned so much about how a reusable spacecraft interacts with its environment, how it ages—and what to design next time. — Col. Eileen Collins, two time shuttle commander and member of NASA's Advisory Council. Popular Mechanics, April 2011. The thing I'll remember most about the flight is that it was fun. In fact, I'm sure it was the most fun that I'll ever have in my life. — Sally K. Ride, first woman to orbit Earth aboard the Space Shuttle, 1983 |
