With mission names like Challenger, Discovery and Expedition, it's no question where NASA has its eyes set: future accomplishments, not the past.
According to the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, U.S. space activities were always to be conducted, at least in part, for "the expansion of human knowledge of Earth and of phenomena in the atmosphere and space."
It's about challenge.
It's about discovery.
It's about education - just like this university.
More recently, NASA has received negative publicity and experienced a decline in public support - in large part due to the loss of seven astronauts in the 2003 Columbia tragedy.
While many of us at Ball State University can recall the footage of the Columbia crash and national reactions to it, fewer of us recall the political and social climate that followed the 1986 crash of the Shuttle Challenger - which also lost its seven-member crew.
On this 20th anniversary of the Challenger disaster, it's important that we look forward rather than backward. Our focus must always remain on "the expansion of human knowledge," of the world we know and the world beyond.
The Indianapolis Challenger Learning Center of Decatur Township is an example of a productive and meaningful reaction to national tragedies like the Challenger crash.
There is a time for sadness and reflection.
Then comes the time for education.
By teaching children about space, constellations, technology and possible careers in the space exploration field, the learning center is sharing the passion of those late astronauts with a new generation. Ball State students, faculty and staff can do the same by carrying the astronauts' dedication and fearlessness into our own fields, from math to teaching, from architecture to music - and beyond.
Most of us on this campus lack a personal connection with the Challenger crash of Jan. 28, 1986 - or even the more recent Columbia disaster. Still, we can reflect on the astronauts' dedication to their cause and their fearlessness in the name of human knowledge.
We, too, can challenge ourselves and discover new ideas through the expeditions we participate in daily.
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