The Final Countdown

Some time this year, NASA’s space shuttle will touch down for the last time. Bereft of their jobs and their mission, what will happen to the people of Florida’s Space Coast? “The Space Coast is also facing a less visible but equally unnerving identity crisis. Over the years, the shuttle has not just brought dollars to Brevard County—or to the rest of the US for that matter—but a unifying statement of daring and of America’s capacity to do what no other country can do. ‘Whenever we launch, it is an act of courage. It is an act of risk taking,’ John Shannon, the director of the program, told me. ‘Even though we are reminded after Challenger and Columbia that this is a risky business, we still choose to do that.'”

Author: Sam Knight
Source: Prospect
Published: Jan 26, 2011
Length: 16 minutes (4,016 words)
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