WAMC New York News
(2005-07-26)
"It was great. I've never seen one before," said 11-year-old Holly Parker.
"It's so cool in this planetarium because everything is so dark...and just seeing it take off is amazing."
"Ten minutes up, and they were going 16,000 miles per hour. It's amazing," said Susan Haynes. "I'm glad I came."
St. Louis has a long history with the U.S. space program.
It was here that the capsules for the Mercury and Gemini missions were built in the 1960's.
The mission marks NASA's renewal of space exploration which officials say will ultimately lead to a return to the moon.
Gregg Maryniak is the director of the James S. McDonnell Planetarium at the St. Louis Science Center.
He says NASA is also turning its eye towards collecting space-borne energy that can be used on Earth.
"And we can use the resources in the ocean of space that surrounds us -- the energy and materials -- to literally save the earth," Maryniak said.
"And that's a supremely important quest. We can literally make our species unkillable, and as a member of that species, I support that mission."
The shuttle Discovery is commanded by astronaut Eileen Collins, who received a master's degree from Webster University in 1989.
© Copyright 2012, St. Louis Public Radio
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Flickr