The perspective from Space

Abstract

This article presents views of John D. Olivas on achievements of humans in space. Olivas recalls the STS-117 mission in which various problems and challenges were systematically overcome by a team of managers, engineers, and technicians as well as the on-orbit crew to make the mission seem outwardly flawless. The mission encountered a shutdown of the main command and control computer system of the space station, loss of a power channel, headache-inducing carbon dioxide levels, compromised Shuttle thermal protection, unexpected orbital attitude control configuration, and reconfiguring a solar array damaged by the wear and tear of the environment that is space. Despite these challenges, hundreds of humans worked hand in hand to perform whatever heroic feat was necessary to achieve success. Olivas also thinks that despite all these achievements, there remains much more for humans to learn and much more to do.