February 01, 2003
Columbia Ave Atque Vale
The space shuttle Columbia blew up today, killing the seven astronauts on board. It is a sad day for all of us, but especially for the friends and family of the astronauts. The space shuttle, and the space station for that matter, get very little news coverage anymore, unless something goes wrong. Space has become routine, so they say. It's not routine for the brave souls who rocket into space on a pillar of fire and return riding a wave of white hot plasma. It's not routine for all the people who work hard with the safety of those brave souls in mind. It's not routine for all of us who understand the hard work, dedication, and yes, risk taking associated with scientific and engineering advancement. I'm sure NASA will figure out what happened, if they don't already know, and it will be fixed, and we will return to routine. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a fighter pilot and an astronaut. Lousy eyesight and motion sickness ended those dreams. But I continue to dream about human exploration and advance into space - the final, unending, still beckoning frontier.
Posted by Kevin Murphy at February 1, 2003 10:29 PM | Current Events
