With the candor and wisdom of a career astronaut, alumnus Bob Crippen (BS ASE '60) shared his insights with a dozen aerospace engineering students April 22 and answered questions on everything from the personal impact of his professional experiences to the future of U.S. space travel. In Austin for the Texas Exes 50th Year Reunion, Crippen discussed lessons he learned in a career that began in the Navy and led to his test flight of the first orbital Space Shuttle at NASA. His education at UT was the first step in his remarkable career, but he said students must be prepared to take advantage of an opportunity when it presents itself.

Much of the informal conversation revolved around where the U.S. should head next in space exploration. Crippen said he supports going to Mars but that the U.S. should first focus on returning to the moon, staying for a while and then applying knowledge learned from that experience to a Mars mission. Neither will become a reality, however, without a shift in attitude toward the space program, risk and the importance of space exploration, he said.

"We're a risk-averse nation," Crippen said. "People don't like to see people die on television, but the only way to avoid that is to stay on the ground. We'll never go back to the moon and never go to Mars if we have the level of risk aversion we have today."

Crippen said the toughest thing he ever did was oversee the recovery of the Challenger explosion while he was deputy director of Shuttle Operations for Kennedy Space Center, but that the risk of such catastrophes can never be completely eliminated. The key is to continue moving forward and recognizing the worth of continued investment in space exploration.

"I'm afraid with other nations realizing the importance of space programs, we're going to become a second-rate nation in space," he said. "We tend to be a nation of reactors, and it might take China putting someone on the moon to get Washington's attention." Crippen also emphasized, however, that a longer stay on the moon would be better with the cooperation of other nations.

Students also asked about Crippen's personal experiences as a test pilot and astronaut. Senior Akash Gandhi asked if Crippen had any doubts about safely landing the first manned space shuttle he tested in 1981. Crippen said he was always confident they could safely land the shuttle, but he admitted that in his life in general, he never thought he would live past 40, knowing the risks of his job.

Toward the end of the talk, Crippen addressed senior Peter Schulte's question about how visiting space personally affected him.

"I don't know anyone who's gone into space who hasn't come back with a better appreciation for the marble that we live on," Crippen said. "We should be trying to take better care of our planet."