Discovery launch renews hope for NASA

The space shuttle Discovery soared into orbit Tuesday, and with it rode the renewed hopes, aspirations and confidence of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.\n"It seemed to go well," said Professor Catherine Pilachowski of the IU Astronomy Department. "From an astronomy point of view, what's exciting is it shows NASA is ready to return to flight. And it may mean it might be possible to think about a Hubble repair mission," she said, referring to the ailing space telescope in orbit around the earth.\nThe launch has been called an emotional watershed for NASA, as it is the first manned space flight in the two-and-a-half years since the Columbia disaster. All seven astronauts aboard that shuttle were killed Feb 1, 2003 when the orbiter, its heat shield damaged by launch debris, disintegrated upon reentry over Texas. According to the Associated Press, a sizable chunk of foam insulation ripped off Discovery's fuel tank during Tuesday's liftoff. NASA officials said the accident does not pose a risk to the astronauts, although future space flights will be grounded until the risky foam problem is resolved.\nThe successful launch of this crew, therefore, was deemed especially important -- a mental hurdle for the NASA space flight team to overcome. \n"As difficult as the (Columbia) accident was, I think the accident has given all of us a sense of purpose and that helps us all in dealing with the loss," NASA astronaut Nicholas Patrick told SPACE.com. "Instead of shutting down the space program, which might have happened, we've taken the lessons learned from Columbia and applied them to the shuttle as well as the next vehicle."\nPilachowski shared similar sentiments.\n"We're looking at a new era for NASA. (The shuttle) is old technology, and it is not the future, but there is still plenty to be learned from it. There are exciting times ahead for space flight," she said.\nThe launch comes only days after congress passed the NASA Authorization Act of 2005, which, among other things, endorses President Bush's Vision for Space Exploration. \nThe Vision for Space Exploration, announced by President Bush in January of 2004, seeks to complete construction of the International Space Station by 2010, return man to the Moon by 2020, and send future unmanned and manned visits to Mars. The bill recently passed in congress with overwhelming support, receiving 383 to 15.\nMike Pritchett, president of the Stonebelt Stargazers Astronomy Club of Bedford, was pleased with the vote.\n"I think it's great they got the program back on track again," he said. "The naysayers say we spend too much money on NASA, but we benefit every day from the space program. Get on a Web site and run a search for technologies developed by the space program. You're MRIs, your CAT scans, all come from there."\nWhen asked about the launch of the Discovery and the significance it has for the American scientific community, he grew more somber.\n"It's been a tense time for everyone. It's also a risk that everyone knew was there, and was willing to take," he said, referring back to the Columbia. "...The benefits are great enough that they will outweigh the costs. But it's another step forward.