MANILA, Philippines — After 30 years, the United States' Space Shuttle program has ended. On July 8, Atlantis, the last active space shuttle orbiter in the fleet of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), blasted off for the last time toward the International Space Station (ISS) where it would deposit supplies for its final mission.

NASA has launched a total of 135 flights to low Earth orbit through five manned winged shuttles – Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour. The first two tragically blew up shortly after liftoff and before landing, respectively.

All these shuttles were first launched from 1981 to 1985, except for the Endeavour which was launched in 1992. A Congressional Research Service study entitled “The Future of NASA” indicated that though the spacecraft have been reconditioned over the years, they are essentially aging systems based largely on obsolete technology. Unfortunately, NASA failed to come up with a more cost-effective second-generation reusable launch vehicle. Hence, the Space Shuttle program will be decommissioned this year.

But the US promises a bolder space exploration objective in its place: To put man back on the Moon after nearly 40 years and take man to Mars for the first time.

Constellation, the successor of the Space Shuttle program, was estimated to cost at least $97 billion through 2020. President Barack Obama scrapped Constellation for overrunning its budget and schedule. Instead, he promised to shore up NASA's funding by $6 billion through 2015, by which time, a new heavy-lift rocket would have begun construction.

In the meantime, the US government would have to buy a seat on the Russian spacecraft Soyuz for about $51 million per ticket for every trip to the ISS. Hope is high, though, that the private sector will pick up the slack and spark a new space race driven by competition, incentive, and the potential of commercial space transport and tourism. NASA has provided $270 million in grants to Boeing, Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada, and SpaceX to help them build their own spacecraft.

Space exploration has been a long-standing symbol of power and dominance. It was, after all, sparked by the Cold War rivalry between the US and former Soviet Union. In spite of a tight fiscal space, the US will continue to strive to keep its supremacy in space.

Without a doubt, space exploration is massively expanding humanity's understanding of the solar system and the universe, thereby fueling groundbreaking innovations in areas which directly touch people's lives: Communications, transport, medical care, agriculture, and environment.

But it also stands for more than technological superiority. For millions of people around the world, space exploration embodies the collective aspiration of humanity – for knowledge, innovation, creation.

The mysterious and expanding deep space is symbolic of limitless possibilities. It pushes the boundaries of man's understanding and the limits of his capability. This is an aspect of technology that we often overlook – it holds the power to inspire people to conquer what has previously seemed unconquerable.

It is no surprise that Atlantis' final launch was marked by deep public nostalgia. Thousands flocked to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to witness the historic moment, awe-inspiring now as it was back in 1981 – as it was back in the first lunar landing of 1969. While it is true that only a handful of countries are directly engaged in space exploration and research, primarily through the ISS, success in space is shared almost universally as a triumph of humanity.

This shows one great aspect of technology – as a unifying enterprise that yields the best results when undertaken collaboratively.

The past week has been an encouraging time for science, technology, and innovation. I participated in three events that concretize technology as a compelling source of inspiration and a vehicle for cooperation for the Philippines' path to progress.

First, I met bright young biotechnology and life sciences students at the Biotechnology Leadership Camp of Novartis, one of the world's top pharmaceutical companies. The BioCamp is providing these young potential scientists a powerful incentive to commit their career to R&D that would contribute to national development.

Then, I saw the launch of NetworkLabs, the first R&D hub of the Nokia Siemens Networks in Southeast Asia. It is a world-class facility demonstrating that Filipinos' talents and skills in software and telecommunications engineering are on par with the best in the world.

Finally, I saw how hundreds of young engineers from the Technological University of the Philippines are creating inventions and innovations that address the country's need to be more competitive. I have no doubt that these students

will be able to push their R&D projects from incubation to commercialization with a little more guidance and support.

Though the Philippines' technological battles are nothing galactic like the space race, they are no less critical. Putting our challenges in this context should compel us to expand our vision and enlarge our perspective.

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