By now the news of the cancellation of NASA's Constellation Program has been out there for a couple of weeks. Of course the news is devastating to those of us living on Florida's Space Coast. The job loss resulting from the closing of the Shuttle Program has just been magnified. People hoping to be picked up by Constellation are beginning to lose hope. The whole community grieves with the workers who will be losing their jobs. They are our neighbors and friends, and quite frankly, they are a large part of what keeps the economic wheels in Titusville turning. However, the loss is much larger than economic. Titusville has been the portal for human space flight for over 40 years. We have been part of significant moments in human history: John Glenn's first Mercury flight, the first human steps on the moon, the courageous and miraculous adventure of Apollo 13, the building of the International Space Station, the launching of the Hubble space telescope, which has helped us peer back toward the beginnings of the universe. These are amazing human accomplishments which have left an indelible impression on the whole world. Which brings me to my main point: the loss of human space flight is not just a loss for Titusville, but for all humanity. Exploring new vistas, rising to new challenges, "going where no man has gone before," are all part of what it means to be human.  Genesis 1:27 tells us that God created human beings in His image.  For centuries, theologians have debated exactly what this means: is it moral, intellectual, artistic?  Being created in the image of God probably involves a tinge of all these things.  I also think it involves a drive to know and explore the unknown.  God knows everything; we do not.  But I think we have a hunger to know and understand.  In every generation there has existed a drive to know more, to extend boundaries, to explore.  It is part of our make up.  And when we lose the opportunity to explore, we lose a part of ourselves. I am sure that human beings will continue to explore the oceans and the cell.  I am sure we will even continue to explore space through unmanned flights.  But it's just not the same as reaching out and touching new worlds.  This experience is priceless, and is certainly worth the investment of a few billion dollars.  How can you put a price tag on what we were meant to do? I hope the present administration will reconsider its priorities, not just for the sake of Titusville, but for the sake of all humanity.