In this article: Why the space station matters

Don't Miss: Inside the Space Station Dec. 10 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the Discovery Channel, which will air the results of our Space Station poll.

Meet Jerry Ross, the most traveled man in the cosmos

by Kevin Markey

Jerry Ross on a spacewalk, with the Earth behind him

In twenty years with the U.S. space program, Jerry Ross, 52, has logged 20 million miles on six flights aboard the space shuttle. Incredibly, those numbers include some 800,000 miles flown outside the shuttle as he performed spacewalks. In fact, the 52-year-old native Indianan has spent more time spacewalking than any person in history. Attached to the mother ship by tethers and faith, he has helped deploy satellites, deliver supplies to the Russian space station Mir, and practice assembly techniques. In 1998, he and his crewmates put together the International Space Station, now home to its first crew.

Did you have any misgivings the first time you stepped through the air lock?

JR: Absolutely not. When I got out of the hatch on my first spacewalk, I wanted to let out this whoop of excitement. It's such an exhilarating experience. You feel like a kid who's been sent out of the house after being cooped up for the winter.

What does zero gravity feel like?

JR: It's incredible. Imagine being in a swimming pool and just being able to float around with almost no effort. If you want to turn upside down, you just put two fingertips on the edge of something and kind of twist a little bit. If you want to go all the way across the station, you push off lightly with one hand and you'll drift to the other side; then you have to stop yourself when you get there.

When did you become interested in space exploration?

JR: I was in the fourth grade when satellites started being launched, so I decided then that I was going to go to Purdue University, become an engineer and become involved in our country's space program. My mom always told me I have a one-track mind, and I think she's right.

Your wife and daughter are also involved in the space program. What do they do?

JR: My daughter is an engineer, and helped with the design of the gloves I wore on three spacewalks. She is now helping to develop the new spacesuits that we would use on Mars. My wife is in charge of food prep for the space shuttle and space station flights. I kiddingly tell people that the only time I get a home-cooked meal is when I fly in space.

When a mission ends and you come back to Earth, literally, is there ever a sense of letdown?

JR: There are very mixed feelings. There's the elation of having carried out a successful mission, and quite frankly, having survived. But also there is this letdown of having worked hard to achieve a goal, and now that's done. You kind of resign yourself to going back to the end of the line to wait your turn for the next incredible experience.

Do you think there could be life elsewhere in space?

JR: I think that's one of the reasons to continue to explore the universe. You just don't know. Back on Earth, are there any special places you and your family like to go? The Tetons are second only to going back to Indiana and spending time with family and friends.

We've been polling our readers, so we'll ask you: Which of these items would you take up to the space station: 1) a family photo album, 2) your broker's phone number, 3) PlayStation 2, 4) the Bible, or 5) a recording of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony?

JR: Is it multiple choice? I would take the Bible and my family photos. I have one granddaughter and a second on the way, and it's great. W Earthbound writer Kevin Markey gets vertigo sometimes crossing high bridges.

Why the space station matters

by Jim Lovell

When Frank Borman, Bill Anders and I first flew to the moon in December 1968, our view of the Earth made the fragile and precious beauty of our home planet clear. Looking at it from another world changed our outlook forever.

This is why the International Space Station matters most to me. Borders are impossible to see from space, while the shrinking world and human connection are impossible to overlook. From orbit, we can see what we have in common -- our planet -- and know this is much more important than anything that separates us. Look at the first ISS crew: An American and two Russians are crewmates and friends.

The ISS will provide breakthroughs in science, medicine, electronics and more when we can do long-term research essentially without gravity. The station also will serve as a launchpad to other places in the cosmos, as well as a place to repair and maintain telescopes, satellites and spaceships. I am on the board of Space Media Inc., where we give people the opportunity to virtually visit the ISS any time and participate in real space experiments through the S*T*A*R*S® (Space Technology and Research Students) program at www.starsprogram.com.

My generation explored space; this one lives there. That's why the ISS matters.

Jim Lovell commanded the Apollo 13 mission to the moon.

Photo by: NASA