What convinced Carter to do that is subject to some speculation.
A 2016 investigation by Ars Technica explored the notion that Carter may have used the space shuttle as a means to secure an arms control agreement with the Soviet Union. In the 1979 Strategic Arms Limitation Talks — negotiations with the Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev that aimed to curb the development of nuclear weapons and certain strategic missiles — Carter allegedly implied that the space shuttle could fly over factories and missile launch sites to ensure Soviet compliance.
A national security component may have given the White House reason enough to support the space shuttle’s development.
“I think that convinced him that the shuttle had a legitimate purpose and should be retained,” Neal said.
Carter confirmed to Ars Technica that he did discuss the space shuttle with Brezhnev. But he offered another explanation for his decision: “I was not enthusiastic about sending humans on missions to Mars or outer space,” Carter said. “But I thought the shuttle was a good way to continue the good work of NASA. I didn’t want to waste the money already invested.”
Neal said this line of reasoning fits with Carter’s personality and leadership style.
“He was a very practical man, and he was, by nature and training, an engineer,” she said. “He wasn’t a lawyer, and he wasn’t even really a natural politician. I think he felt the argument to cancel the program was not sound, but they needed to define better what the shuttle can do.”
Still, Carter’s decision to save the space shuttle program was most likely not easy given the political climate, according to Neal.
“With the benefit of hindsight, it was a brave decision to make,” she said.
As president, Carter oversaw some less fraught NASA milestones, as well.
He included a written statement aboard NASA’s twin Voyager spacecraft, which launched in 1977 on missions to probe the farthest reaches of the solar system and beyond.
Should the Voyager probes be intercepted by any alien civilizations during their missions, Carter’s message was meant to introduce them to humanity, said Matthew Shindell, a curator of planetary science and exploration at the National Air and Space Museum.
His statement was included with each spacecraft’s “Golden Record,” a gold-plated copper disk containing “sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth,” according to NASA.
Carter’s words make for an elegant cosmic communiqué:
“This is a present from a small distant world, a token of our sounds, our science, our images, our music, our thoughts, and our feelings. We are attempting to survive our time so we may live into yours. We hope someday, having solved the problems we face, to join a community of galactic civilizations. This record represents our hope and our determination, and our good will in a vast and awesome universe.”
The Voyager probes are still speeding through space: Voyager 1 has journeyed more than 15 billion miles from Earth, while Voyager 2 has clocked nearly 13 billion miles. Both have been flying longer than any other spacecraft in history.
In 2012, Voyager 1 became the first human-made object to cross into interstellar space, soaring beyond the outermost reaches of the sun’s influence and into the region between stars.
Though the Voyager missions were approved before Carter became president, the years of careful planning to take advantage of a favorable alignment of the outer planets culminated in the probes’ launch while he was in office.
“What Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 accomplished in terms of visiting all of the outer planets is something that we’ll never see again in our lifetime,” Shindell said. “They did sort of set a path for us going forward, in that we have remained very fascinated with the outer planets.”
Despite these key contributions to the country’s space program, Carter’s space legacy is often overlooked.
The post The president’s little-known NASA legacy appeared first on NBC News.
