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Space Shuttle Atlantis Commander Chris Ferguson, as STS-135, the final flight of the US Space Shuttle program, was preparing for liftoff. Commander Ferguson concluded his pre-launch comments with “Let’s light this shuttle one more time and witness this nation at its best. The crew of Atlantis is ready to launch.” The space program has always been a point of inspiration for me personally. I’m sad to see the program mothballed early due to budget cuts. Atlantis flew only 33 missions and it was designed to fly 100. I wish space lobbyists were as effective as defense lobbyists. Guns can make you reach for the sky but only rockets can take you there. As Shuttle Endeavour Commander Mark Kelly eloquently said on the launchpad of STS-134 “It is in the DNA of our great country to reach for the stars and explore. We must not stop.”
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The shuttle is always going to be a reflection of what this nation can do when it dares to be bold and commits to follow through. We’re not ending the journey today, we’re completing a chapter of a journey that will never end.
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