Post by Michael Biskach

Sadly, tomorrow is my last day at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. I was extraordinarily fortunate over 15 years to work on many interesting challenges in a variety of domains: optical fabrication, polishing, metrology, mirror alignment/integration, vacuum systems, hardware control software, ion beam figuring, production scaling/tracking, mission and proposal development, custom machine design, image and data analysis, software development, AI, cloud engineering, and more. I will miss the unique challenges, sure. But I will miss the people the most. If I get the opportunity once again to work with people of half the caliber and passion found at Goddard and NASA as a whole, I will count myself lucky. Leaving feels like I'm losing a part of myself. NASA is inspiration, exploration, and perspiration. I can only hope this spirit carries on in the wake of so many good, hard working, and patriotic people each taking a piece of NASA along with them as they walk out the door. NASA embodies the human spirit, the curiosity in us all. An irrelevant NASA is the loss of not only American superiority in science and exploration, but also the capping of human potential. While this is my fear, I remain hopeful. For I know we as humans will one day travel among the stars we once drew on the walls of caves. It was an honor to contribute in the smallest of ways to the grandest of endeavours.