The completion of Servicing Mission 4 in space yesterday, 300 nautical miles above the earth, is a technical achievement for NASA. As Daniel Henninger of the Wall Street Journal writes, “Hubble is the Washington Monument of US science.” The mission to extend its life 5 additional years will reap huge bonanzas in data and imagery from space. The astronauts each had repair specialties and their work was a space variant of a typical Saturday working in one’s garage at home: repairing a camera, replacing six gyroscopes, and installing new insulation. They struggled getting bolts loosened -- can you use WD-40 in outer space? -- yet after some delays they are on their way home.
We Americans tend to take NASA for granted when times are good. This benign neglect is occurring today. The Obama Administration proposed a 5% increase for FY2010 versus FY2009 -- good news which included the continuation of Constellation, Ares 1, and Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle. But NASA followers are very cautious. There is a sense that the new Administration might not take space exploration seriously and that the increased figures are placeholders until further review occurs. Five months have passed and the Administration has yet to appoint a NASA Administrator. And, the tension created by the transition team late in 2008 still gnaws at NASA veterans, largely because the assigned transition staff were non-technical.
NASA watchers, including contractors, are right to feel uneasy for now.
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