As a pathfinder, NASA expects others to follow,

The big question is, is NASA going to follow through or not?

MIT has always been key to NASA's success. Our people, technology development and scientific investigations have been intertwined since the earliest days of the space program.

It's more like a relay race and the torch is now passed to Atlantis and the STS-121 crew. Now we have some data to work with, and for the first time in the shuttle era, we've got a very solid place to start.

It's more like a relay race and the torch is now passed to Atlantis and the STS-121 crew, ... Now we have some data to work with, and for the first time in the shuttle era, we've got a very solid place to start.

Max was a genuine icon, a down-to-earth Cajun with a very nuts-and-bolts approach to engineering. He contributed immeasurably to America's successes in human space flight. His genius allowed us to compete and win the space race to the moon.