The business of space is always challenging. At the same time, we recognize that we need to accomplish a tremendous amount of work before we will be able to access space on a routine basis. That, perhaps, is where the chain of events that started in the post-War world and bridged into the 21st century is most pertinent. From Day One, we understood that the mission was a tough one and treated it accordingly. To get as far as we have has taken a truly monumental effort, involving tens of thousands of people.
Every launch is a collaborative effort in the largest sense of the term.
What we've seen, what we've been a part of, was recognized as a national effort, a mission the whole country was behind. The next major steps in space will require similar personal and national commitment to achieve the focus we must have in this new era. Sounds like us as we embark on a fresh, new century.