I got a comment on my deviantART.com account from a young woman that is studying Aerospace Engineering. She had a photograph that showed a small space shuttle pin and I had commented on her photograph. I noticed that she was wearing a space shuttle pin in the photograph and mentioned that as well. Being polite she was thanking me for the comment and explained the pin in the photograph. The words she used though are what brought me joy.

She wrote: "About the shuttle pin....I'm technically studying to be a rocket scientist, I'm getting a BS in Aerospace Engineering, so that little shuttle pin is part of a lifetime obsession." What beautiful words - part of a lifetime obsession. I understand where she is coming from and it brings me great joy to see that this generation shares some of the same dreams that my generation had.

When I was a child the world was treated to black and white images from a man walking on the moon. Imagine, somebody from Earth was actually stepping on the moon, risking his life in a place that was both exciting and dangerous. This was also a time of great termoil in our country. We were engaged in a war that couldn't be won and all we saw on the news everynight were protests and the bodies of our servicemen overseas. The term "body coun't" originated during the Vietnam War, how gruesome is that? The space program gave Americans (and the world) something good to focus on. After too few missions the Apollo program was abandoned, but the wonder and call to explore the heavens had been planted in me.

I thought about some more about her words lifetime obsession and realized that I am one of the people that, even though she has never heard of me, has helped create her obsession with space and exploration. I imagine she is probably 20 or 21, so her entire life has always had people going into space as part of it. The first space shuttle launch was in 1981. When the Challenger was destroyed in 1986 she would have been too young to understand, and by the time NASA was launching shuttles again she would have been the right age for getting hooked on space exploration.

The one thing I hope for her though is that she is able to keep her dream alive. The reality of working on the space program is not what most people would believe. I can tell you that even as an engineer I don't have as nice an office as many of you. My office is in a large open area with no walls, the furniture was either left over from the Apollo days or bought in the 1970's. I do have access to a wide array of computer systems, but they aren't very cutting edge. I could make more money and have better "things" at work just by changing industries, but that really isn't an option at this moment (although a week ago it was).

So, why do I work here? The reason I keep working where I do is because I still have the dream. The space shuttle program is finally winding down, but the programs on the horizon are as exciting as anything we've ever attempted. Engineers turn dreams into reality by taking science and applying it practically. There are a lot of challenges in going to the moon and someday to Mars. I plan on being right there to help meet those challenges and make the next set of dreams into reality.

Engineers have dreams, too.