Former senator and astronaut visits USU
Former astronaut and Sen. Jake Garn spoke to USU students last Friday about the U.S. Constitution and the future of space travel. Before answering questions from the audience in the HUB, Garn spoke about his time in space and encouraged students to get an education.
President of the College Republicans Mikey Rodgerson said the club asked Garn to come to USU because he is passionate about the Constitution and because USU has ties to the space program.
“If you’re not Republican, if you’re not a Democrat, if you’re not politically involved at all — it’s still really cool to be able to do a Q-and-A with a senator,” Rodgerson said. “Those are things that normal citizens don’t get the opportunity to do everyday.”
College Republican member and USU student Becca Jo Pechin said she planned the event. Pechin also introduced Garn.
“He’d probably be an interesting person to bring, someone with a diverse background of astronaut and a senator involved with politics,” Pechin said. “But I think a lot of people think space is really cool.”
As he encouraged students to get an education, Garn said amazing opportunities will come from new technology.
“Continue to train you brain, continue to learn and study,” Garn said. “The speed of technological change is so much more rapid today than it was when I was your age that I can’t possibly — even with my wild imagination — I can’t possibly predict the amazing opportunities that will await you in your future.”
Garn said such opportunities are possible because of the Constitution.
“Other people around this planet don’t live the way we do and have all the freedom and opportunity and the choices to make,” Garn said. “(There are) so many dictatorships still here on earth, robbing wonderful human beings of amazing opportunities that we enjoy here in the United States.”
He said he was recently in Russia and learned that new freedoms have helped the people there. He said very few people used to own cars in Russia, but they are now common. There are now also private businesses, he added.
“We’ve set the example with the freedom of opportunity of how talented individuals are when they are free. And that’s what’s happening in Russia,” Garn said.
The experience of flying into space changes lives, Garn said. And space travel allows people to see how insignificant earth is in comparison to the rest of the universe. It makes differences like race and language seem silly to fight over, he said.
“It changes lives and someday, when space travel does become as common as airline flying is today, it will change how we treat each other,” Garn said. “Because when you realize how insignificant the planet earth is in the overall scheme of things. We’re all children of God traveling on ‘Spaceship Earth’ together.”
Garn said space travel will become more common when commercial spaceflight becomes possible.
“It’s not going to be economically feasible for several years at a minimum. But it will become so,” Garn said.
Cars used to be too expensive for the average person to own, Garn said. But now many people have multiple cars in a household. He said commercial spaceflight will also become economically feasible over time, and the government and NASA will help fund commercial spaceflight.
Garn said he wasn’t in favor of shutting down the shuttle program.
“I don’t even comprehend stopping the space shuttle until we have a replacement vehicle,” Garn said, adding that shutting down the program saves the government less than one percent of the budget, and the space station will be hurt because the U.S. won’t be able to send replacement parts. Even though the shuttle program is over, NASA is still in operation, Garn said.
“NASA will continue to work on the Future of Mars flight and things like that,” Garn said.
Garn ended by thanking USU for inviting him.
“I’d like you to know that I really appreciate this. I’ve always had a good relationship with Utah State, even though I went to The U. for many, many, many years,” Garn said. “I can’t say that about BYU.”
– chris.w.lee@aggiemail.usu.edu