This Issue:

Table of Contents

Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

Mini-Lesson

Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

NASA's New Vision

Spanish Translation

By Andrea Delbanco

The countdown has begun! after being grounded for two years, the space shuttle Discovery is in position for takeoff. If all goes well and conditions are right, Discovery and its seven astronauts will begin their journey to the International Space Station sometime between May 22 and June 3.

Michael Griffin, the new head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), will lead the agency through the tense Discovery takeoff. "People want a space program that goes somewhere and does something," he told NASA employees. Griffin, 55, is an experienced rocket scientist and a NASA veteran. As the head of the agency, he hopes to help NASA chart a new course.

Return to Flight
Space exploration is always dangerous. In 2003, after traveling 6 million miles through space, the space shuttle Columbia broke apart minutes before it was supposed to land. All seven astronauts on board were killed. Investigators believe that a piece of foam insulation broke off of a tank during liftoff, damaging one of Columbia's wings. After the tragedy, space shuttle flights were suspended.

Next month's launch marks the shuttle's return to flight. Commander Eileen Collins will lead the crew. Discovery's main mission is to test new safety procedures and equipment. The crew will also deliver supplies to the International Space Station. Prelaunch preparations are going well. On April 14, the shuttle passed a crucial fuel test. "We'd say we got an A," said Neil Otte, the chief engineer of the testing project.

The Next Steps
The Discovery mission is the first step in a program called Vision for Space Exploration. In 2004, President George W. Bush announced that the U.S. would expand its space plans. "In the past 30 years, no human being has set foot on another world. . . . America has not developed a new vehicle to advance human exploration in nearly a quarter century. It is time for America to take the next steps," Bush said.

Manned missions to the Moon and Mars are now a top priority. NASA also aims to retire the shuttle fleet in 2010 and to replace it with new crafts called crew exploration vehicles (CEVs). "The initial test flight for the CEV is scheduled for 2008," NASA's J.D. Harrington told TFK. "The first manned flight is planned for 2014."

Reaching these goals will be expensive. NASA recently requested $753 million to begin building CEVs. Critics oppose spending so much money on space exploration. But Griffin brings fresh enthusiasm for NASA's goals to his post. "I believe that if money is to be spent on space, Americans would prefer to spend it on an exciting, destination-oriented program," he says.

For now, Americans await their chance to see the space shuttle blast off again.

Next: Unrest and Change in Ecuador