Moon, Mars, Kentucky Stars

Space is really an economic strategy.

KySat-1 found its way to the front page of the Kentucky Kernel, the University of Kentucky's campus newspaper, today. Though there are a number of interesting quotes in the article - read them all - the following expresses what, for me, is so appealing about the entire orbital program of Kentucky Space. It's more than simply a satellite. It's a success strategy.

By cultivating its own talent in the space sciences, Kentucky is preparing for a future where expertise in science, technology, engineering and math will determine the (common)wealth. And it's time to get started:

After the satellite is launched, [students] will be able to upload photos taken by the satellite and print them off for the students to take home with them. They can also go out on the playground and point a handheld radio antenna toward the satellite and listen to the radio beacons, (Engineering professor, Dr. Jim) Lumpp said.

'The person who walks on Mars, the person who is in mission control, all the engineers and scientists that are going make that happen,' Lumpp said. 'They are all in elementary school today and hopefully an elementary school in Kentucky.'

Wayne