Shuttle program

Nearly two weeks ago the crew on board space shuttle Atlantis safely returned after NASA's final mission to the International Space Station.

Trips to the space station will now be outsourced by NASA to private companies, but until these companies send individuals into space, NASA will send astronauts along on Russian carriers.

Much has been made about the ending of an era for NASA, and politicians are quick to pick sides -- should we or should we not continue the shuttle program. But the need for highly educated individuals in science and math will continue. Whether through future NASA missions -- such as the proposed goal of sending astronauts to an asteroid within the next 15 years -- or any other number of areas where an understanding in aerospace operations is important, the need for bright individuals with strong analytical minds will continue.

Southeast Missouri has played a role in U.S. space exploration. Jackson High School and Southeast Missouri State University graduate Linda Godwin joined NASA after earning a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Missouri in Columbia. She was chosen as a candidate to go into space in June 1985. Since then Godwin has made several trips aboard the shuttle.

In recent weeks Americans have reminisced about the past 30 years in space. From John Glenn's first orbit around the globe to the Apollo missions to the Challenger and Columbia shuttle tragedies to the latest liftoff and landing of Atlantis, the United States has a deep history in space exploration and we are grateful to those who have helped make it possible.