I can truly say science fiction is very important. The people who write science-fiction stories are dreamers. They create the ideas from which scientists begin their search. Just think what this country would be like if we did not have writers who dream of making things better for this country and the world. Without the dreamer, our country could be in pretty bad shape.
Science fiction is the material from which dreams begin their initial journey to reality.
Without that first building block, we, as a nation, cannot advance and we would eventually stagnate. A stagnating civilization will eventually collapse in on itself. That's an incredible process when you think about it. It applies to everything we do. The main objectives of this mission involved hooking up equipment and unpacking and stowing gear for the first resident crew.