At NASA Ames, a Bittersweet Goodbye to Space Shuttle Program

In "flight day four" of their mission, the crew of space shuttle Atlantis began the arduous task of transferring 9,402 pounds of supplies and 2,281 pounds of cargo into space onto the International Space Station, NASA reported today.

Sometimes, it's the cargo of science experiments, robots and Android-enabled mobile phones that researchers from NASA Ames Research Center contribute to the space missions. Always—NASA Ames research contributes to the safety of the astronauts and the succesful return of the space shuttle.

But as the space shuttle program comes to an end with the return of Atlantis on July 20, NASA Ames employees can't help but feel bittersweet about the occasion. "Space exploration is still vibrant, but it's sad to see the shuttle program go," said Don Richey, an outreach specialist at the NASA Ames Exploration Center. During launch days, Richey coordinates and controls the audio visuals at the center. "I hate to see us pull back from this." Richey explained that while no more shuttles will launch, NASA still has future space missions, like Juno, a probe to orbit Jupiter that could go up this summer, and the next Mars Rover late this year. 

Twenty-one years ago in 1990, Jeffrey Lee, a scientist and project account manager, helped send up experiments—specifically, mice—on STS-41 Discovery, "so I feel close to the program, which is why it's sad to see the program come to an end," he said. "I wish that the United States had a more affirmative follow up to shuttle."  Lee, who has worked at NASA Ames for 27 years, had never watched a shuttle launch at the Exploration Center, but instead watched them in his office over closed-circuit televisions. Because of the significance of this launch, he ventured slightly off the campus. "This is a special occasion we are experiencing," said Lee.

Like Richey, Horacio Chavez also works at the Exploration Center and has seen many shuttle launches. After 22 years at NASA Ames, his feelings echo that of his colleagues. "I am very happy, very satisfied that everything went well, but at the same time, I feel very sad that this is the last one," said Chavez. "But we have many more opportunities."