RETURNed TO FLIGHT!!!

Two and a half years of tears, head-scratching, ideas, planning, waiting, more planning, more waiting and it has finally come. The Space Shuttle has returned to flight. Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off at 9:39 CDT on this 26th day of July. It was a spectacular launch. I hope you were able to watch it?

Here are a few word from our NASA Administrator, Michael Griffin, "Take note of what you saw here today. The power and the majesty of the launch, of course, but also the competence and the professionalism, the sheer gall, the pluckiness, the grittiness of this team that pulled this program out of the depths of despair 2 1/2 years ago and made it fly."

There were a lot of people involved in making this happen. We say thank you to you all. We, on the International Space Station side, have continued to fly since Columbia. It's been tough, but we have managed and we've done it safely. Now with Discovery in the air, we can resume the construction efforts of the ISS and work towards Mr Griffin's and President Bush's vision of going back to the moon and to Mars. I am extremely proud and excited to be working on this endeavor! I hope to be around when the next human sets foot on the moon...and then Mars...and then....

These are exciting times...let's cherish them and not take them for granted. Let's put back the excitement and imagination back into our youth and our elderly. Maybe you too will begin to feel excited again!