What a sad weekend.
I just got done reading this article about a bunch of the Columbia articles and discussion across the Net right now. I stopped to view the comparison of cartoons between major publications. I had to take pause at them, as some of them were incredibly moving.
I awoke at about 10:30am Saturday morning, and true to form, I logged onto my computer and checked my e-mail. I saw I had two breaking news alerts from CNN, and I didn't really pay much attention to them at first, but I was shocked when I read them. I haven't vocally freaked out like that in a long time. The Columbia accident might not have the same effect on me as the Challenger accident, but its effects will haunt me for years to come. First, seeing the pictures of the Columbia, in pieces, coming down to Earth, and then learning about some of the circumstances of its disintegration. I remember wondering, and I still wonder, did the crew die quickly or did they suffer? I know that communication from the shuttle to NASA was abruptly cut off, but I can only wonder what went through the crew's minds. Did they know beforehand? Did NASA's discussion with them about the piece of foam that detached from the external fuel tank put a damper on their optimism? I hate having these morbid thoughts, but it's hard not to, in times like these.
When Challenger exploded, I read that there was a chance that the crew was alive for a while after the explosion, as the crew module stayed mostly intact, and continued to ascend into the atmosphere, until ultimately falling back to earth. There's little more than that possibility that scares me.
What's in store for the future of space travel? I don't know. I hope that NASA will continue research on shuttle replacements, giving us a more economical space plane (a TRUE space plane) that will bring space travel to more humans. I hope that we'll continue to branch out into our solar system in the coming decades, starting with some sort of permanent outpost on the moon. I hope that the remaining shuttles will continue to serve for at most for another ten years, with a capable replacement taking over duty for them. I don't see the point in building another shuttle, like we did with Endeavour.... the shuttle is far too costly for us to use to make large inroads into space.
Anyway, I'm going to try to chill a bit, and maybe not read anything else that puts morbid thoughts in my head.
I awoke at about 10:30am Saturday morning, and true to form, I logged onto my computer and checked my e-mail. I saw I had two breaking news alerts from CNN, and I didn't really pay much attention to them at first, but I was shocked when I read them. I haven't vocally freaked out like that in a long time. The Columbia accident might not have the same effect on me as the Challenger accident, but its effects will haunt me for years to come. First, seeing the pictures of the Columbia, in pieces, coming down to Earth, and then learning about some of the circumstances of its disintegration. I remember wondering, and I still wonder, did the crew die quickly or did they suffer? I know that communication from the shuttle to NASA was abruptly cut off, but I can only wonder what went through the crew's minds. Did they know beforehand? Did NASA's discussion with them about the piece of foam that detached from the external fuel tank put a damper on their optimism? I hate having these morbid thoughts, but it's hard not to, in times like these.
When Challenger exploded, I read that there was a chance that the crew was alive for a while after the explosion, as the crew module stayed mostly intact, and continued to ascend into the atmosphere, until ultimately falling back to earth. There's little more than that possibility that scares me.
What's in store for the future of space travel? I don't know. I hope that NASA will continue research on shuttle replacements, giving us a more economical space plane (a TRUE space plane) that will bring space travel to more humans. I hope that we'll continue to branch out into our solar system in the coming decades, starting with some sort of permanent outpost on the moon. I hope that the remaining shuttles will continue to serve for at most for another ten years, with a capable replacement taking over duty for them. I don't see the point in building another shuttle, like we did with Endeavour.... the shuttle is far too costly for us to use to make large inroads into space.
Anyway, I'm going to try to chill a bit, and maybe not read anything else that puts morbid thoughts in my head.
Labels: Life
posted by Bernie at
8:48 PM
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