Nothing excites me in the way that a successful shuttle launch does. The rush of adrenaline, the flutter in my stomach, the overwhelming feeling of ‘Wow-I-wish-that-was-me’–it’s incredible, really. Despite all of my many frustrations with NASA, I couldn’t help grinning as my co-worker and I watched Discovery launch via live webcast. The last mission I watched the full launch of was back when I was in high school; I got up early in Germany so that I could watch the first flight that Eileen Collins commanded. Six years later, I’ve lost a lot of my romantic notions about NASA, and I have a much better idea about what it takes to get a crew into space safely. It’s a dangerous business, and chances are that we won’t learn any more by having humans there than we would with remote missions. Nevertheless, I fully believe that manned space programs should continue. Watching images beamed remotely from satellites and rovers will never excite the hearts and imaginations of mankind the way watching others go into space does. I am an engineering student because the space program inspired me to dream when I was a child. Everyone should have a chance to dream those dreams.

Godspeed, Discovery.