My answer to people who say we
should cancel at least all human space
activity (and spend the money "here on Earth"...as though
astronauts carry checkbooks into space and float the checks or
cash out the airlock door), is that, while we mourn the loss of
ANY space explorers and scientists, at least they died doing
what they wanted to, accepting the risks, and doing so for the
ultimate benefit of mankind! (As cynical and unfeeling as the
following may sound, we lost several hundred people on TWA Flt
800, and more recently 78 souls aboard another airliner that
crashed shortly after takeoff. While the lives of those on board
were no less meaningful to themselves and their families...and
who knows what benefits may have accrued to humankind had THEY
lived longer, no one has suggested that all airliners be
grounded, nor even that that particular type airliner be
grounded until the "probable cause" is found. Of course
airliners operate in a considerably more "benign" environment
than the shuttles, and we only have three orbiters left, and I
DO recommend temporary grounding until some preliminary
conclusions can be reached. But I do NOT want to see this drag
out for 2-1/2 years, as happened when Challenger blew up. We
need to keep the ISS operational continuously, and NOT
"mothball" it, so long as the Russians can keep supplying it,
and, if necessary we can do a crew changeout via the Soyuz
vehicles.Rather than
reduce or eliminate the human space program because of
Columbia's destruction, we need to use this as a reason to
EXPAND and ACCELERATE the manned space operations and
exploration! To do otherwise is to say that everyone from Otto
Lillianthal on who died in an aerospace accident died in vain!
This I refuse to do!
Ad Luna! Ad Aries! Ad Astra!
— Jim Barnard
Member, former aerospace and SRB-DSS (Shuttle booster parachute)
engineer. |
