Space Quote: Space Cowboys or Space Tourists?

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Image (Credit): SpaceX AX-1 mission to the International Space Station. (SpaceX)

“We are not space tourists.”

– Statement by Michael López-Alegría who traveled as a private citizen (and former NASA astronaut) to the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday as part of SpaceX’s AX-1 mission.

Why does this remind me of the statement “I am not a crook”? Mr. López-Alegría leads the mission carrying three wealthy passengers who spent about $55 million apiece to stay on the ISS for eight days and basically get in the way of working astronauts. I thought Bigelow was working on inflatable space hotels. Wouldn’t that be more appropriate? And maybe that $55 million could go towards STEM classes for students who want to go to space as a career rather than a joyride. Just an idea.

Image (Credit): Artist’s rendering of a Bigelow inflatable space station. (Bigelow Space Ops)

Space Quote: Good Feelings in Orbit

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): NASA Astronaut Mark Vande Hei aboard the International Space Station. (NASA)

“They were, are and will continue to be very dear friends of mine. We support each other throughout everything. And I never had any concerns about my ability to continue working with them – very good professionals and technically competent and wonderful human beings.”

-NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, who returned to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) last week, regarding his US and Russian crew mates, as quoted in the Washington Post. As a result of his latest ISS mission, Mr. Vande Hei has now spent more time in space on a single mission than any other US astronaut.

Space Quote: Keeping an Open Mind

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Image (Credit): An artist’s rendering of ‘Oumuamua. (European Southern Observatory / Science Photo Library)

“Human history is very often driven by a group of people feeling superior to another group of people. If we find that we are not the smartest kid on the cosmic block, it will give us a different perspective. All the differences between humans will become irrelevant.”

-Harvard University Professor Avi Loeb quoted in the Independent discussing his search for extraterrestrial life and his new effort called The Galileo Project. His book,  Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth, on the the mysterious object ‘Oumuamua that visited our solar system has caused quite a stir.

Space Quote: Sanctions and the ISS

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Source/Credit: International Space Station (ISS) from NASA.

“If you block cooperation with us, who will save the ISS from uncontrolled deorbiting and falling on US or European territory?”

–Dmitry Olegovich Rogozin, Director General of Roscosmos, commenting on US sanctions against Russia’s aerospace industry resulting from that country’s invasion of Ukraine this week. The ISS is expected to stay aloft until 2031, assuming everyone cooperates.

Space Quote: We Have Come A Long Way

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Source/Credit: Milky Way Galaxy from NASA.

“No competent thinker [can] maintain any single nebula to be a star system of coordinate rank with the Milky Way.”

–Agnes Mary Clerke, Irish astronomer, founding member of the  British Astronomical Association, and honorary member of the Royal Astronomical Society, commenting in 1890 on the likelihood that other galaxies existed beyond the Milky Way. This comment was captured in an excellent article from the July 31, 2021 Science News, “A Century of New Worlds,” which discusses discoveries in astronomy over the last 100 years. The article also notes that it was the work of another female astronomer, Henrietta Leavitt, that helped to eventually prove the existence of other galaxies.

Extra: A crater on the Moon is named after astronomer Agnes Mary Clerke (shown below).

Source/Credit: Clerke crater from NASA’s Apollo 17.