Re: [twuug] Space Shuttle Columbia blows up on reentry!

[mike <seafire@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

As many of you know, I work for NASA. Luckily, though, I don't speak for the 
Agency. I thought I'd add my 2 pfennig to the discussion.

I'm old enough to remember before the Shuttle was built that it was sold to 
the public and Congress on the notion that its "primary" purpose was to 
provide inexpensive commercial access to space. It was also as a side mission  
going to provide a place for NASA to conduct "science". As time went on, and 
the number of shuttles that could be afforded declined, the commercial 
applications started to give way to more "science". After the Challenger 
disaster, the Shuttle's manifest was switched to make science the primary 
user. So much has the pendulum swung that the "science" being conducted was 
not "What things REQUIRE a man in space to do?" (e.g. certain types of 
metallurgical processing can't be done on Earth because gravity affects the 
distribution of molecules and crystalline structures) but rather "What things 
can we do to fill the time available, er, no, uh, to satisfy our curiosity?" 
Indeed, during the last few years at NASA the notion has been widely touted 
that the Agency's space program (manned and exploration) is about satisfying 
the public's curiosity.

One thing the Columbia's tragic end will hopefully re-ignite is a return to 
the reason to go and work in space. Imagine a place where materials can be 
produced a thousand times stronger than here on Earth. Imagine a place where 
certain types of drugs can be manufactured that use complex crystalline 
structures to attach, remove, and flush cancer cells from the body. Imagine a 
system like the Shuttle that could deliver enough OSSs (Open Source 
Satellites, TM) in one load to provide broadband Internet access to all Linux 
users's groups in the country. Even though I have nothing to do with the 
space side of the NASA house, this disaster will impact me in my job. Budgets 
will no doubt be in flux for some time to come, just as they were after the 
Challenger mishap. The budget I might have been hoping for to develop search 
and rescue UAVs for police and firefighters here on Earth may get swallowed 
up recovering from the Columbia accident. I'm a curious sort of guy so I know 
the temptation to believe a lot of people in the general public share my 
curiosity to try new things just to see what there is to see.

Yes, it is true that human's inherent curiosity has driven many discoveries. 
However, I find that this particular pearl has been paid for with too high a 
price. I hope the Creator of all things will guide the seven who perished, a 
job made easier by their slipping "the surly bonds of Earth" and being 
207,000 feet closer to "touch the face of God".

mike L.





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