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CLEAR Temp: 48 °F Wind: SSW at 5 mph Wednesday, February 5, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend February 4, 2003 Medford teacher says space exploration must continue By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune North Medford High School science teacher Robert Black couldn’t feel worse about the Columbia disaster. But the sadness he feels hasn’t lessened his enthusiasm for the nation’s space program. "As a country we still need to dream big, to get out there and see more of the solar system," he said. Black is one of 150 top science teachers from around the country who will attend the ninth annual Space Station Educators Conference at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The three-day conference begins Thursday. Black, whose trip is being funded largely by a grant from the Murdoch Foundation, teaches honors biology and physical science. Next year, he is scheduled to teach astronomy. The lifelong space buff knows the Columbia tragedy will renew the argument by some that the financial and human cost of the space program is too high. He also knows the shadow of the disaster will fall over the conference, which was planned last year. "But all the presenters, astronauts and engineers, got together Sunday and agreed to keep the conference as scheduled," he said. "They think it’s still important that NASA gets through this, finds out what happened and continues (with space exploration)." Black, who will take part in a variety of workshops, including a tour led by astronauts inside a model of the international space station, couldn’t agree more. This marks the second NASA program for Black, who hails from Austin, Texas. In 1999, he spent two weeks at the Ames Research Center in Palo Alto, Calif., where he immersed himself in space science. During one of his science classes at North Medford High School Monday morning, Black used a ceramic tile obtained from NASA, the same kind used on the underbelly and nose of the space shuttle to keep it insulated from the extreme heat, to help bring the shuttle disaster discussion home to his students. Investigations into the disaster are focusing on the possibility that some of the shuttle’s tiles were damaged. The tile is made largely of silica fibers, making it nearly impervious to temperature change but also very fragile. "They were very interested in that," he observed. Scientists working on the space program have made breakthroughs in more than just heat-resistant tiles, he said, noting those advancements have helped improve life back on earth in many ways, from vastly improved computers to improved medicine. The space program has also helped educate would-be scientists, he added. "Some of the actual scientific experiments going on in the space shuttles and space station are designed by students," he said. In fact, the Columbia’s crew of seven conducted 80 experiments on that ill-fated trip. They included everything from testing how low gravity affects antibiotics to studying the behavior of a veritable zoo of creatures from ants and spiders to carpenter bees and silkworms. Black, 39, whose eight-year-old daughter wants to become an astronaut, said humans must continue the voyage of discovery into space. "I believe in manned flight, that we can’t just use robots," he said. "You can’t ever replace human beings in exploration." He also firmly believes the space station must continue to be part of the nation’s space program. "If we are ever going to get to Mars, to travel farther than the Earth and the moon, we need that space station," he said, adding that studies done there will pave the way for mankind’s first trip to another planet. "It will allow us in my lifetime to get to Mars," he said. "I’m a big believer in that." Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S