It is a terrible, terrible tragedy. I've been locked in my office writing all
day, and din't hear about this until late.

We become so used to the sight of astronauts climbing skyward on the shuttle
and drifting back to earth that we forget the dangers involved, that these
people are riding controlled explosions going up, and blasting back at mach six
with little or no fuel coming back, using technology that is nearly twenty
years old, and ships that have taken multiple beatings on lift-off and re-entry
for all of those years.

If the government really wants to show respect for the lives lost, they should
inject some of the money otherwise being spent on bombs into creating and
repairing and refurbishing the remaining shuttles, or otherwise paying more
than lip service to the space program that has given so much, and so many
lives, in return for so precious little funding from Washington.

jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
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