Shuttle Columbia

[el Guapo]

I react to the news this morning. Tragedy it is indeed. But it happened to people who lived large lives doing what they loved. They fully knew the risks and accepted them. Remember that the same amount of men and women died in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan protecting our liberty recently. That story lasted two days with minimum buzz. I post this message early into the incident, but I hope America can avoid a media driven spectacle and just focus on the facts. This is the price of freedom and human advancement.

 

[PlannerGirl]

Guap i agree but it seems the talking heads are already going crazy with buzz.

it sucks, it hurts-i fear this will be the last nail in the coffin of the space program for quite some time.

warm thoughts to the families

 

[Wannaplan?]

Such a sad event. I feel for their families.

May the souls of seven daring adventurers rest in peace.

 

[nerudite]

I remember seeing the Columbia land (and hearing sonic booms for the first time) on July 4, 1982 at Edwards Airforce Base in California. There were a few thousand people there celebrating the success of the shuttle program and seeing history in the making. I'll never forget it, and it makes the sadness today a little deeper. Many of my relatives work at JPL and NASA, and I hope this doesn't slow down the progress we are making in space exploration. I hope scientists can learn from the problems and keep working on new ways to improve space exploration.

I am saddened by the tragedy, but I hope we don't lose the program too. My thoughts are with the families of these brave pioneers.

 

[SkeLeton]

I am quite shocked about the tragedy....
I hope the Space program doesn't get shut off, that would be a shame.
I am deeply concerned about the politic echo that this tragedy could bring, since there was one Israeli astronaut. I hope that the mass media doesn't start giving out unfounded rumors about a posible terrorist attack or something like that, blaming the Palestinians or Irak or al-Qaeda. There's much more chance of it being a technical error, or human error than any terrorist attack or sabotage.

It's a real shame that tragedies like this have to happen to get the space proggram on the news... What happened with the enthusiasm??? I guess since there isn't much of a race, there isn't any enthusiasm... What I see is taht the enthusiasm died after Apollo 11, picked up a little with the Apollo 13 and then frankly died off, until the first space shuttles and died off again until the Challenger tragedy, and had died off quite a lot until today.
What I see is that we are lacking a charismatic and decided leader like Kennedy (no, not the Great Leader ) to bring up again the enthusiasm.

 

[SGB]

My thoughts are also with NHPlanner and others from the Concord, NH area. I'm sure this tragedy is an unwelcomed reminder of what they went through with the Challenger tragedy......

 

[Zoning Goddess]

I was an hour into a Cub Scout training session when a dad in the room took a cell phone call and came back to tell us, so I was unable to really see anything until I got home after 4 p.m. My 9 year old is, I guess, trying to be nonchalant, as boys will do. In my generation, the astronauts were the heroes, space travel was so new. I remember the news coverage when Grissom, Chaffee, and White died, and was leaving for work one morning when I turned around and saw Challenger go in the sky over Florida. I have no way to explain to my child what he is witnessing. I really have to ask my mother how she thought I reacted the first time.

 

[kms]

I am drawn to shuttle landings, more than take-offs. I remember elementary school teachers turning on the tv, which was new enough in schools, to show the splash downs of the landing capsules. They were important enough to suspend class work. And now, the shuttles can land like airplanes, on a runway! It still amazes me!

I was in the hospital recovering from having my middle child and was watching a shuttle landing. The OB came around to check on us, and I ordered him to take the time to watch the landing. I hope to see many more, and hope to see the technology continue to improve.

 

[NHPlanner]

My thoughts are also with NHPlanner and others from the Concord, NH area. I'm sure this tragedy is an unwelcomed reminder of what they went through with the Challenger tragedy......

Thanks Stu....it is kind of weird around here right now....I've avoided watching TV for the most part this weekend. I didn't even hear about it until almost noon time yesterday...