THE International Space Station now has a full-time crew, much to the delight
and relief of NASA officials, who must surely have wondered if they’d ever see
the day. A huge smile adorned every NASA official’s face as pictures of the
three astronauts were beamed back to Earth.
But at least one smile quickly faded after the first transmission from the
crew. Commander William Shepherd asked permission to refer to the space station
by the call sign “Alpha” in all radio contact with the ground. That may seem
like an innocuous request, but NASA chief Dan Goldin was less than…
