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Space is hard. Yesterday was a reminder of just how challenging space exploration is to perfect.
The seconds following yesterday’s loss of SpaceX’s Dragon Capsule and Falcon9 Rocket, I was actually at a loss for words, which is a rarity.
But then, the shock dissipated and I was fired up with emotion. I became protective and defensive of the bigger picture, and I took to social media to share encouragement and positivity. In fact, there are many of us who are ready to go to bat to defend why space exploration is so very important. My voice may only be a drop in the bucket, but I’ll keep dripping until this bucket is overflowing because that’s how strongly I feel about the importance of Space Exploration.
Space Exploration and “routine” launches are difficult and are not fail proof. That doesn’t mean that they are not worth the risk. #SpaceX
— Kelly Schwark (@KellySchwark) June 28, 2015
From my personal Facebook page, shortly after the loss:
No, today’s SpaceX launch wasn’t a manned mission, but my heart breaks for the complete loss of the resupply mission, the experiments onboard (which I’ve read included several student run projects that were recreated after the loss of Antares) and for the long list of science and technology components.
This isn’t just “cool stuff” that is being done; all of these bits and pieces of innovation and experimentations actually benefit us, and well beyond aviation. Medical advances, water filtration systems, robotics, technological safety features and more.
And yet Congress continues to cut funding for further development. Commercial partnerships are important, but having our own government agency fully funded, and not having to solely depend on international or commercial vehicles, shouldn’t even be an issue.
We all benefit from these advances and I’m tired of our politicians not seeing the big picture.
Perhaps it was a moment of frustration, but I stand by what I said. Today, I add my thoughts from yesterday to the message that I shared after the Antares loss in October, 2014. Why do I feel so strongly about all of this? THIS is why….
(Original post below shared: Oct. 29, 2014)
Heartbreaking. That was the word that immediately came to mind when I stood beside my daughter in my kitchen last night as we watched from my iPad the Antares rocket attempt to launch.
I was hit with an instant flood of memories to when I was about her age, watching Challenger launch, then jumping ahead to years later when I woke in the early Hawaiian morning just to watch the landing of Columbia. For me, the risk and danger of space exploration is something that is memorable and real, but for her, it was the first time that she witnessed the loss of an uncrewed mission.
It is tragic, and my heart sincerely breaks for those who lost research experiments and the countless hours and resources that were poured into all that Antares and Cygnus represented, but right now- you and I have a choice.
We can choose to say, “Oh, that’s too risky; let’s just stop.”
OR…
We can take this as a somber reminder that there IS risk, a very real risk, that we as human kind accept when we say that will try something new, go somewhere new, be something new. We test and and try and experiment, but even under the best of circumstances, things go wrong sometimes. There is risk, but what is the risk of becoming complacent? What’s the risk of staying right where you are, never wondering what else is out there, never challenging yourself to try something new or do something in a new way?
We can pat ourselves on the back and celebrate anniversaries of incredible feats such as the Moon landing, but if we don’t support those pushing the boundaries to see what else we are capable of, or what else is out there, then we’ll never reach our own potential. We’ll live small, and eventually collapse into ourselves.
But…
When we face risk, when we challenge ourselves to explore new opportunities, then we are opening ourselves up to infinite possibilities- despite risk.
What did I tell my daughter about what happened last night?
I told her that it is quite sad for everything that was lost last night, but there is always an extremely valuable lesson gained from failure. The accident will be studied, and examined and from it, a weakness will be identified and strengthened. From that failure will come new discoveries and a safer method. That’s what we do when we stumble and fall, isn’t it?
So, instead of using last night’s failed launch as a bullet point to why we shouldn’t be doing “this” or “that,” let it spark a new wave of support to invest more into our space program. Yep. I said it. MORE. We need to be forward thinking enough to say that this investment goes beyond the here and now, and that it is worth the risk- because it is. And if you are stuck in the here and now, then listen to just a few NASA Spinoffs that we are taking advantage of NOW.
For NASA’s statement about Orbital Science Corp’s Antares rocket, please read here.
