The Struggle To Return To Space

Thank God for NASA. The U.S.A.'s National Aeronautics and Space Administration. If it wasn't for NASA, there would be no global space program. There would not be all the communication satellites that we've come to depend on. There would not be all the scientific satellites that monitor the condition of Earth. There would be no GPS. There would be no Hubble Space Telescope. We would know virtually nothing about the other planets in our solar system, and even less about the Universe beyond. We would most certainly not have set foot on the Moon. Medical and scientific knowledge would be decades behind, if it wasn't for the research done by NASA. The world would be a much different, much less informed, and much less advanced place, without NASA.

Almost all the facts and images in this website are derived from the public archives of NASA. NASA operates arguably the largest group of websites in the world, full of the latest scientific data and images, offered free of charge to the world. It's NASA that monitors the holes in Earth's critical ozone layer. It's NASA that maintains the Near Earth Object detection system, to detect an asteroid on a collision course with Earth. All of the above and much, much more, that NASA does cost billions of dollars, and it's all paid for with the hard earned tax dollars of the American people, and given freely to the rest of the world. For this, the world owes the American people a huge debt of gratitude. Don't get me wrong, I'm no apologist for the evils of many of America's foreign policies, but to focus on the bad and ignore the good is to deny the fundamental duality of the Universe and everything in it. I say again, Thank God for NASA.

But NASA has come upon hard times recently. Budget cuts and wars have seriously hampered its work. And two years ago the unthinkable happened. The Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart while returning to Earth from space, killing all seven astronauts on board. NASA determined the cause of the tragedy, and has spent the last two years upgrading systems, to prevent a similar catastophe.

One of the things that had to be fixed before the Space Shuttle could go back to space was a system to thoroughly inspect the outside of the Shuttle for damage before returning to Earth. This is where Canada comes to the rescue.

Already world renowned for the robotic arms it built for both the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station, Canada was charged with the job of designing and building a new Remote Manipulator System to take care of the required inspection protocols. Without this new system, the Space Shuttle was grounded. Thankfully, Canada rose to the challenge, and the new system was constructed and tested successfully, meeting all specifications and deadlines. And now, thanks in no small part to the expertise and diligence of Canadians, NASA can resume its good work on behalf of us all. Well done, Canada, eh?

---

HOME PAGE - Weekly map of the night sky, and current astronomical events.	OUR PLACE - Weekly article on things terrestrial.
SOLAR SYSTEM - All Things Held Captive By The Sun	KEEP MEXICAN SKIES FREE - Click on those ads!
CONSTELLATIONS - Everything Else In The Universe	MUSIC - "The food of love..." Original songs, and more...
PLANET WATCH - Weekly update of the planets in our sky.	GUITAR TUTORIAL - Learn the basics of playing the guitar.
E. T. WATCH - The scientific search for extraterrestrial life.	HIGHWAY 61 - An original novel about polar bears, suicide bombers, and God.
CLOSE ENCOUNTER WATCH - Comets and asteroids heading our way.	PHOTO GALLERY - A collection of original observatory photos.
SHUTTLE WATCH - The exploits of NASA's Space Shuttle.	HUMOUR GALLERY - A collection of humour from the web.
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - The latest news from the first Human home in space.	THE FRANK GALBRAITH LEGACY - The legacy of a Cariboo musician.
FREE ASTRONOMY SOFTWARE - The best things in life really are free.	THE MEXICAN SKIES OBSERVATORY - Santa Elena, Oaxaca, Mexico.
ASTROLOGY - Astronomy's Evil Twin?	MEXICAN SKIES ARCHIVES - Selected articles from previous years.

	Enter your search terms Submit search form
	Web www.mexicanskies.com