I've been watching the Columbia disaster off and on all morning. I wish I had something moving or memorable to say but I just don't have the words. I remember where I was when Challenger exploded. I remember sitting in the Career Counseling office at the University of Kansas getting ready to take an aptitude test. I remember the yellow backed chairs and the little TV hanging over the waiting room with the sound down. I remember trying to figure out what was going on by just looking at the pictures. They just kept showing the explosion over and over like they're showing Columbia breaking up. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families devastated by this loss.
NASA took over 2 years to launch the next shuttle after Challenger. I wonder how long it will be until the next flight this time? Especially with so many pressing problems. How will the International Space Station fare? The shuttles have flown 113 times with 2 catastrophic failures. A BBC article said
If the same statistics applied to everyday travel then anyone who drove their car to and from work once a day would be lucky to live to the end of the month.
But we aren't driving our car to work. We're going into space. That has a completely different risk reward equation than driving to work in your car. Better we should compare it to those who followed Columbus or Leif Erikson. How many early explorers were lost at sea? The price for exploration has always been measured in human lives and there are always people willing, even eager, to take that chance. I hope that our government continues the space program. I pray we continue to provide a platform to allow today's explorers to leap to the stars. Godspeed Columbia. And farewell.