When I get really down after reflecting on the state of the world: a war in Iraq and Afghanistan, disengagement and heightened tension with North Korea and Iran, a world financial disaster, food shortages everywhere, gas prices high as high can be, a home mortgage crisis that is through the ceiling, Darfur, Myanmar, Zimbabwe and Africa in general, drug wars in Mexico, Tibetan monks in crisis, worldwide water crisis, drought in Australia, America, rain forests falling like dominoes, kids killing kids because their anti-depressants don’t quite work, health care costs literally killing people, and an election in America that is more insipid than inspiring and of course climate disaster to just get me going. I’m sure there are many more disasters I have left out or not long in the offing. When I start feeling the pressure of this world wide state of distress and start feeling depressed, cynical and am searching for the world’s largest martini to drown myself in, no I don’t turn on my, The Secret, video, no, what I do is look up in the sky towards what some call heaven and see where peace on earth actually exists; it exists in outer space. The International Space Station floating above us and orbiting the earth almost 16 times a day, which you can check out at spaceflight.nasa.gov/.

It has been up there since 2000 with constant human inhabitation, it has entertained astronauts from 16 countries, it is the most expensive joint human endeavor ever built, costing over 157 billion dollars. In the last six months with multinational contributions the International Space Station has added an expansive lab that is the biggest lab unit fitted to the station and it was created by the European Space agency that includes the workings of 11 different countries. The European Space Agency also launched, Jules Verne, a 21 ton automated robot vessel that will carry tons of experimental equipment, fuel, water, food and other supplies to the station from earth without humans on board. Canada sent up, Dextre, a science fiction like automated robot that will do jobs outside the space station including repairs, observation and other jobs once done by space walking astronauts. Recently, a 48-year-old American woman astronaut, Peggy Whitson, broke the record for time in space at the space station at 377 total days and 192 continuous days. And not to be totally non-exclusive, the international scientific community aren’t the only people to enjoy the benefits of the peace in outer space. Civilians rich enough to afford it can hitch a ride up to the space station, there has been six paying customers so far. The life of the Space Station is supposed to be completed in 2010 and has a working life until 2017. I hope it lives longer and through it all can teach us all how working together in peace in space can be translated to working together in peace on earth…