We take events in space for granted now. If there is a problem, there is also the expectation that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has thought the solution through and that brave men and women will execute the plan and make it a success. After nearly fifty years of space exploration experience, we now take for granted the incredible skill and bravery of our astronauts and the creativity of the space program. Indeed, in an era where a sports team's achievement merits a huge parade, our comparably modest reaction to the recently completed Discovery mission is a prime example of our complacency.

Discovery arrived at the International Space Station on October 25, 2007. Its mission was the most challenging and complicated construction schedule ever undertaken on the International Space Station. The mission had several scheduled space walks. In the first walk, the astronauts had little trouble installing a pressurized compartment called the Harmony module. The nearly 16-ton room added more than 2,500 cubic feet (71 cubic meters) of space to the orbital laboratory and serves as a vital hub for future expansion. The module will eventually connect the Japanese and European scientific laboratories to be delivered to the ISS in the coming months.

The next assignment successfully relocated a 35,000-pound (15,875-kilogram) girder on the Space Station. During the third space walk, the crew installed a pair of solar arrays. However, the mission took a dramatic turn on Oct. 30 when it came time to unfurl the solar wings on the relocated girder on the left side of the space station. The first wing popped out fine, but the second one became snagged in a clump of tangled wires and ripped in two places.

The solar array, one of three on the International Space Station, is critical to providing extra electricity for the planned European and Japanese science labs. Flight controllers rushed to come up with a repair plan. The repair plan would result in a dangerous space walk by astronaut Scott Parazynski on Saturday, November 3, 2007 to fix the solar array.

Imagine for a moment the courage it took to dangle on a more than 90 foot robotic arm trying to fix a solar array in outer space. The danger was further increased because one touch of the swaying solar panel would mean electrocution. Also, consider that this was the furthest distance any astronaut had ever ventured from the confines of the International Space Station. Scott Parazynski was attached by his feet to the 90 foot robotic arm for four hours. He used wire cutters, pliers, and some homemade tools to fix the torn wing. The repair required knitting together the damaged panels with makeshift wire "cufflinks".

Shuttle commander Pamela Melroy said she was more than a little concerned about Parazynski's close approach to the electrified blanket. "You may have heard me … kind of squeak out 'be careful!' as I saw the solar array coming towards him," Melroy said. As Parazynski went to work, however, the commander explained she became comfortable with the risky operation. After the repair, the solar arrays were unfolded and were confirmed to be operational. Parazynski's successful surgery ( he is also a medical doctor) on the solar array had saved the International Space Station and allowed its future development to continue on schedule.

NASA made fixing the solar array a top priority because without it there was a risk the tear could spread and render the power-generating wing useless. The repair of the solar array allows the world's space agencies to proceed with the next shuttle flight to the space station in early December when Atlantis will deliver the European Columbus laboratory. The astronauts who remain on the ISS will be busy until then. Astronauts Whitson, Tani, and Cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko will need to relocate and outfit Harmony before the arrival of the European laboratory next month.

This was Discovery's 34th space flight. It is the 23rd shuttle mission to the International Space Station and the 120th orbiter flight in NASA history. The space agency plans to launch at least 10 more shuttle flights to the ISS to complete construction of the orbital laboratory by September 2010, when the agency is set to retire its fleet of three orbiters.

In total, the Discovery mission racked up 6.2 million miles during its 16-day journey that began on Oct. 23. The spaceship orbited the Earth 238 times, most of which while docked at the ISS for about 11 days. In addition, the mission included brave and daring astronauts, dangerous space walks, construction in space, astronauts living in a space station, and creative home-made repairs to serious problems on the dangerous solar array.

Unlike the early days of American space exploration, we take space achievement for granted now. Fifty years have dampened our senses to the excitement of the exploration of space. Parazynski's dangerous walk saved the future of the International Space Station. Not too long ago his bravery and achievement would have made him a national hero. However, today, the risky repair to the ISS solar wing is just another successful mission for a crew of a spaceship called Discovery.