Ad astra: The future of NASA's astronaut corps

摘要

"There is no easy way from the Earth to the stars" (Non est ad astra mollis e terris via) wrote the Roman philosopher Seneca the Younger in the first century A.D. Given the uncertain future of NASA's human spaceflight plans, the Stoic's words must resonate with present and prospective members of NASA's astronaut corps. They face the 2011 end of the space shuttle era, inaugurating a decade when perhaps only 40 U.S. astronauts may journey to Earth orbit. By contrast, when I first flew as a shuttle crewmember, NASA launched 84 astronauts in just two calendar years, 1994-1995. But those days are gone, and today's corps must grapple with shrinking flight opportunities, new training challenges, and serious questions about the future of human space exploration.