Has Space Flight Become Too Routine?
After well over a hundred Space Shuttle missions and the 10th
anniversary of the International Space Station, the American public
seems to have once again grown complacent about the space
program.
Perhaps in a way, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration's overall record of successful missions has
ultimately worked against keeping the public sitting on the edge of
their seat, who instead seem most interested when unusual things go
wrong.
NASA is aware that people often aren't paying much attention,
until they screw up... a recurring problem throughout NASA history.
A perfect example from the latest Shuttle mission is the case of a
lost tool bag, valued at $100,000. Despite completion of
significant maintenance tasks, major improvements to the ISS and an
otherwise near-perfectly executed mission... it seemed that the big
focus of mainstream media reporting was on that lost toolkit.
A small but important part of an astronaut's job is public
relations, offering candid responses to reporters' questions that
are often repetitive and occasionally downright silly, an ABC News
report pointed out.
Astronaut Heidi Stefanyshyn-Piper, questioned numerous times
during PAO events about the tool bag, was asked again Saturday
about losing it. Obviously weary of the subject but still trying to
remain polite, she sighed and said, "It may be a good thing if it
gets people to think about the space program and what we are doing
up here."
A note on the front of the crew's daily planning package on Day
14 of the recent mission -- reported by ABC -- contained a bit of
humor, revealing what the crew might actually be thinking during
the day's PAO event when faced with mundane questions....
Q: What on Earth can the spacewalks be compared with? A:
Like fixing your roof at night while wearing diapers, ski-clothes
and scuba gear over your pajamas.
Q: How does the Urine Processor work? A: It
doesn't.
Q: Does the "wake-up" song actually wake you up? A: Yes -
with these speakers it sounds like the national anthem being played
on an electric shaver.
Q: What is it like being in space? A: No fresh air, no beer,
no TV, no sex and no shoes. Try that for two weeks
sometime.
Q: What will you do on Thanksgiving? A: Same as every other
day: Lose stuff, look for stuff, and take pictures of stuff. Oh,
and use a lot of duct tape.