The World Mourns - Your Thoughts on the Space Shuttle Columbia Tragedy

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Our thoughts and prayers are with many familieof those touched by this diaster. May God continually strenghthen you in this time of sorrow.

I am an Apollo baby, inspired to a career in science in no small measure by the moon landings I watched as a child. I believe the human exploration of space is deeply important for the human spirit. In the long term, there is no reason space travel could not be made as safe and routine as air travel is today. In the near term, however, there seems to be no reasonable prospect that the risks of space travel will be much lower than the current level, on the order of one percent or so. In my opinion, this does not mean that people should not go into space, but rather that we should give people a goal worth this level of risk. Going around and around in orbit is not such a goal unless it is a real stepping stone to the spread of humanity out into the cosmos. In practical terms, I believe this means not sending humans up to do science projects, no matter how interesting, but rather focussing the astronaut program on only those aspects that will lead us to the moon, Mars, and beyond: long-term survival in space, closed-cycle environments, artificial gravity, high-power, high-specific impulse propulsion, and eventually in situ resource utilization. This does not require a massively expensive crash program, only a clear and persistent focus on what leads to the goal of human exploration and settling of space. The rest can either be done by robots now or wait for the risks to fall until they become worthwhile. For now, keep sending heroes into Space, but give them tasks worthy of their heroism.

I'm extremely saddend by this horrific tragety that happened last Saturday. Words alone can't describe my heartfelt feelings. I feel for everyone...the families, the friends, and the co-workers of the 7 brave astronauts. All of them seemed like sweet souls and each had special qualities about them. They're all I can think about right now. When I see past news footage of all of them smiling and waving as they walked to the NASA bus, it brings such sorrow and tears to my eyes. They all looked so happy. God bless and keep praying for everyone. We all need the strength to get through the pain.

Sung by: Celine Dion

I dedicate this song to the astronauts of Space Shuttle Columbia (very beautiful song):

Fly, fly precious one
Your endless journey has begun
Take your gentle happiness
Far too beautiful than this
Cross over to the other shore
There's peace forevermore
But hold this mem'ry bittersweet
Until we meet

Fly, fly do not fear
Don't waste a breath don't shed a tear
Your heart is pure, your soul is free
Be on your way, don't wait for me
Above the universe you'll climb
On beyond the hands of time
The moon will rise, the sun will set
But I won't forget

Fly, fly little wing
Fly where only angels sing
Fly away, the time is right
Go now, find the light...

THEY NEVER WILL BE FORGOTTEN!!!!

Shawna Lee

While I'll be expressing my condolences via the NASA page I'd like to brainstorm a few ideas here regarding what (if anything) NASA might've done IF they knew that there was a weakspot on the underside of the left wing (I believe the current theory focuses on a problem around the LH wheel bay doors).

If re-entry wasn't an option then what? Would they have tried to repair the problem - if they had the EVA backpacks? If not possibly re-dock with the ISS and await another orbiter - very dicey with only a 3 person escape capsule?

I guess these will be some of the scenarios NASA will have to start thinking about when shuttles resume. And they will, for without the shuttle the ISS is dead - period.

I can't find details on Columbia's path over CA, NV, or AZ. Do you have a source where the path is shown?

It seems we all should be trying to help uncover what happened by searching for debris.

I remain truly impressed by the success of the shuttle program. The NASA team has done outstanding work and achieved so many successes.

I wish zero failure could be achieved, but we all know humans just aren't perfect.

We must learn the cause(s) and press ahead.

They went in peace for all Mankind. In life, as in death, they embody everything that is noble about humanity. Godspeed, Columbia.

They died, living their dream... My condolences to the immediate families left behind, as well as to the extended NASA family. Now it is up to us to keep the dream alive and to make sure that all the young children inspired by the 7 astronauts' lives will not give up! God's speed to you, crew of STS-107! Ad Astra!

I wrote this poem about the shuttle tragedy:

The Space Ship Columbia

Steve Myrick
Houston

My concern is that the insulating foam has "open" rather than "closed" cells. If the cells are closed there is probably no way that the foam would damage the ceramic tiles. If however the cells are open, they could have filled with moisture, increasing enormously the mass of the oncoming material, which could have infact damaged the porous insulating material, by crushing. The crushing would have increase the apparent thermal conductivity, resulting in the failure. I am a ceramic engineer so I understand just a bit of what might have been going on. Essentially a huge piece of what is essentially "styrofoam" would have no effect on the "ceramic foam" tiles, however an ice cube would be a real problem, the way to make an ice cube is to have the foam be open celled rather than closed celled. Just soak some of the stuff, weigh before, weigh after, and freeze the stuff, that should definitively settle the matter. You, have probably already figured this out, but in the event you haven't I thought perhaps I could help.

The lives of these seven astronauts, and those of Challenger, Soyuz 11, Soyuz 1, and Apollo 1, were not lost in vain. They will be remembered as the explorers of a new era, having passed on in the call of duty. These envoys of humankind have contributed to our civilization's advancement into space, and I imagine their names will be emblazoned on noble ships travelling between the planets centuries from now.

The thought struck me that OSHA would never have let the shuttle fly...except OSHA can't stop federal agencies....

If you were getting hired at a company where your work was high risk, and they told you, "Well, we know of products and procedures that will keep you safe, but we can't afford to use them", would you turn and run? Would you report them? Or would you "be a hero", "for the children"?

Complacency = Death

No launch should be ignored or treated lightly. Either we go whole hog, or we stay home.

The astronauts will be missed greatly, and their knowledge is lost to the world. Their example leads us on.

It is said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Without that step, the journey ends before it ever begins. Mankind's journey to the stars is in its infancy. As a baby learns to tentatively crawl, then take its first faltering steps before it can walk or run, so are we taking our first faltering steps into the future. Without those steps, no matter the number of times we fall, there can be no future.

The crew of Columbia took Mankind a step farther on its road to the stars. We must remember their dedication and their conviction as we continue the journey, with their memory in our hearts and minds. Though the road can be difficult to follow, it is worth following. It is worth the sacrifice. It has meaning.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the Columbia crew. Our thanks and our faith will carry them with us on the journey ahead.

God Bless her crew and their families.

Columbia was a special spacecraft for me. I supported her first four crews during OFT flights of STS-1 through 4. I helped create the procedures used by the crew in flight and the flight control team on the ground. I then participated on the Ascent (Silver) Flight Control Team in Mission Control. What an experience to have been part of her first 56 hour mission.

What a loss to us all. Clearly the crew will stand as a symbol of true heros who dared to go to the ultimate limit.

Let us not fall victim to those who want to end this type of natural human work. Let us instead learn from this and go forward stronger and with definite purpose.

Again, God Bless them all.

Thanks for the opportunity to comment.

Ultimately, the losses of Columbia and Challenger go back to the Nixon Administration's decision to forgo the two-stage, fully-recoverable design and instead only fund what amounts to a 1.5 stage, partly-recoverable vehicle.

The facts are that the executive branch and Congress have starved the civil space program of funds for a quarter-century, while the NRO, NSA, and military space programs have spent money like water, often for very little real return.

In terms of organizational structure, the nation needs a Cabinet-level department that would run the national space-related activities currently divided between NASA, the NRO, DOD, FAA, FCC, etc., in both a regulatory and operational sense, with what amounts to a "uniformed branch" - a non-military federal service - to handle the operational and research tasks, along the lines of the USCG or NOAA Corps.

The US space program has been an afterthought for too long; a Space Department would provide the program the organizational and political clout to stake out an ongoing mission.

And the best way to honor the fallen?

A new, fully-recoverable TSTO orbiter/booster system (21 of them, named after the 21 astronauts and cosmonauts whoi have died in spacecraft) with the ISS completed to the 7-strong crew design, a follow-on LEO and GEO station program, a lunar base and planetary survey program, all on a $20 billion a year budget .

Saturday morning I turned on the community radio station and heard a Native American talking about prayers and healing before his played his next song. I recognized his distinct voice, a voice I remembered as one of the speakers at the interfaith candle light service held at Unity church before Christmas; so I walked over and turned up the volume.

He said something on the radio about putting out a prayer for the people in the missing space shuttle. Imagine my shock as I suddenly realized what he meant. I hurried to the other room and turned on the TV. I immediately saw streaming debris, that looked like stars falling from the sky, and surmised, from professional experience, that America's first shuttle space ship had disintegrated during re-entry.

Twenty-two years ago, in the dawn of Micronesia, I had just completed an "all night" mission. I walked outside to meet the morning and let some warm tropical air hit me in the face, then noticed a curious glow of light over the pre-dawn horizon that I prematurely presumed to be a satellite reflection. As I followed it with my gaze, it meandered across the small tropical atoll. As the object passed the overhead point in the sky, I could faintly see a white outline, as the sunrise reflected from its core, yet the object was too obscured by misty tropical haze to confirm.

A day before that moment I stood in the control room, as an object came over the Marshall Islands and I waited for the trajectory data to be collected concerning the flight path, along with other information.

It was my job to take the data by hand and carry it over to the communication center, located nearby where I worked, and then put it into a special message format and tranmit the information to Edwards AFB, Cape Canaveral, and other agencies in the network assigned to this mission. I would get excited and was proud about this courier delivery to the Comm Center and because of the 3 minute time limit would run with it in hand across the lawn as fast as I could.

I thought the light I gazed upon that morning was satellite, then suddenly I made out an image through the tropical mist.

It was the Space Shuttle Columbia on her last revolution before landing at Edwards AFB. It was the maiden voyage and the final minutes before completion of the STS1 mission.

I stand at attention, in awe, just to think of the present space mission being STS107. Suddenly seven souls on board have perished, on the new moon of the month, and oddly enough on the beginning of Chinese New Year. The year of the Ram. A powerful odyssey from alpha to omega for America's first space shuttle and everyone involved throughout her career.

As I sat quietly in my study, I stared at one of the STS mission patches sewn on my old light blue Air Force windbreaker, given to me by the Shuttle Network. It is Red, White, and Blue with two white stars adorned with streaming lines that fall from the star points. It was just a day of "oddness" in the air. A day of emptyness and loss for me, as I remember my proud past experiences of the space ship Columbia and the first three missions I was involved with.

Hauntingly, I can still here the daughter of the Israeli Astronaut, on TV the other day. The father was tryng to console her young soul, while explaining to her that he was going up into space and it would be OK. The home video cam that was apparently shot several days before the disaster and the daughter spoke quickly while he held her, "The space shuttle blew up," as she sat on his knee, "Honey, that was in the movies," the astronaut replied.

My thoughts, in prayer of love, light, and healing go out to everyone who has been touched by this castastophe.

I will always remember how excited and proud I was to be a part of the Space Shuttle Columbia's maiden voyage into space.

I leave you with a memory of an ancient time and a Old Makah Indian Poem:

When you waken in the mornings hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
of quite birds in the circled flight,
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there, I did not die.

My deep sympathy,

Danny M. Eidson, D.C.H.
(former communications specialist KMR 1979-1982)

Watching the ET insulation strike the orbiter brings to mind the Saturn V launches, were huge chunks of ice fell off the vehicle during liftoff, but safely below and downstream of the Apollo spacecraft. Pray that the Orbital Space Plane will be mounted on top of its launch vehicle, safely upstream of falling debris or any other potentially desctructive events.