Amy Gehrt: Space exploration to enter a new phase

Maryville Daily Forum: Amy Gehrt: Space exploration to enter a new phase
As NASA’s space program prepares to once again embark into unchartered territory, it is also marking two momentous milestones that helped it get to the precipice of an exciting new journey into the unknown.

The International Space Station — a joint project between NASA, the European Space Agency, the Russian Federal Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the Canadian Space Agency — celebrates its 10th anniversary on Tuesday, according to several Associated Press stories that provided the background for this column.

And on Wednesday, the space shuttle Discovery is slated for its final flight. It will be the 39th trip into space for Discovery, which, at 26 years old, is the oldest surviving shuttle.

“There’s still a certain amount of disbelief that it’s really her final launch,” launch director Mike Leinbach said. “It’s difficult to accept emotionally. But rationally, we all know it’s coming to an end, and we need to get on with it.”

Discovery’s last mission won’t be without firsts, however — among the load of equipment the space shuttle and her crew of six will drop off at the International Space Station is the first humanoid robot ever sent to space.

According to Associated Press stories, Robonaut 2 — nicknamed R2 — is the result of a $2.5 million collaboration between NASA and General Motors. Currently built from the waist up, R2 is 3 feet 4 inches tall, has arms that are 2 feet 8 inches long each, and weighs 330 pounds. The robot is preprogrammed to do certain tasks by itself and will be able to do even more, such as vacuuming air filters, once it gets legs — planned for late 2011. The space agency hopes R2 may even be able to participate in spacewalks once a torso and computer enhancements are added, possibly in 2012. R2 has a twin which will remain at Kennedy Space Center.

R2’s name may be reminiscent of R2-D2 from the “Star Wars” movies, and it even somewhat resembles a cross between R2-D2 and C-3PO, but unlike the talkative droids, R2 is completely silent — although he does tweet.

NASA says R2 is friendly and is designed to help humans, but as fans of SyFy’s reimagined “Battlestar Galactica” series and the just-cancelled “Caprica” can attest, the Cylons were created to be cybernetic workers and soldiers and that didn’t turn out so well for the humans. But in a recent tweet, R2 offers this reassurance: “You have no reason to worry — my twin and I are nice robots. We promise not to take over space or Earth.”

Once R2 is dropped off and Discovery returns, there is just one remaining shuttle mission scheduled. Endeavour’s February or March flight was expected to serve as the end to America’s space shuttle program, but NASA officials are hoping to get the go-ahead for one more after that. A bill signed by President Barack Obama on October 11 would fund an additional flight mid-year, and it is now awaiting an appropriations review.

The bill also maps out the new path of America’s space exploration, a shift from NASA’s moon-oriented program to one focusing on asteroids and Mars. The president’s space policy calls for a manned mission to an asteroid by 2025, and a manned mission to Mars in the 2030s, according to NASA.

A bold plan, to be sure, but one I find exciting nonetheless. We’ve come a long way since our first space flight in 1961, but the space program has seemed stale in recent years. I wasn’t alive to experience the thrill when we first landed on the moon on July 16, 1969, but I have no doubt seeing Americans land on asteroids and Mars will be equally exciting. Because after all, the thrill lies in the journey, and the countless never-before-seen discoveries awaiting us.