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Nearly a century ago, the Wright
brothers set in motion the age of flight. Just 30 years ago,
humans landed on the Moon. Today, NASA launches a new space mission
every 11 weeks. With the technologies developed to go to the
Moon, Mars, and beyond, we also have improved the quality of
life here on Earth.
The generation that will lead us into the new millennium will
build the highway of the future. The highway of the future will
send astronauts beyond Earth's orbit safely, take business ventures
to space cheaply, and help America explore the cosmos confidently.
 The
interplanetary highway, like today's highway, will have destinations.
It will reach laboratories to harvest new technologies in biomed,
biotech, robotics, advanced materials and sensors, to name a
few. Its on-ramps will be open to everyone, not just NASA astronauts
and Russian cosmonauts. It will even have its own communication
system, an interplanetary internet. It will go well beyond Earth's
orbit and the Moon, and reach other planetary bodies, asteroids,
comets, and other solar systems. It may even help us answer the
question: Are we alone? Along the way it will also bring new
technologies we haven't even dreamed about yet.
We almost take for granted the returns on NASA's past investments:
global communications, TV satellite broadcasts, extended weather
forecasting, digital imaging, fire retardant materials, smoke
detectors, computer barcoding, disposable diapers, the pacemaker,
scratch resistant glasses, cordless power tools, remote monitoring
devices for intensive care patients, and countless contributions
to commercial aircraft engines and air traffic systems.
One person who certainly does not take NASA's work for granted
is a young Alabama boy. He has a rare genetic disorder that prevents
him from going into the daylight without experiencing nerve inflammation,
severe blistering, and other serious effects. Recently, he was
able to play outside during daylight, for the first time, wearing
a protective suit developed from the same technology that protects
our astronauts from ultraviolet radiation in space.
This is what NASA is about opening up the space frontier,
solving the mysteries of the universe, and bringing the discoveries
into our homes. Spinoff 1999 is a tribute to the spirit
of the men and women who dare to dream everyday about building
the highway of the future.
Daniel S. Goldin
Administrator
National
Aeronautics and Space Administration
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