Archives for February 2003

Sunday: Space Flight Not Routine. The most sensible single article on the Columbia loss that I’ve read appeared in today’s New York Times. In this article, the risks of space flight are dissected. As my colleague Jeff Carlson noted , we have to hope the astronauts were given as much insight into the chance of failure and other risks as were realistic. Elsewhere on the Net, I’ve seen quotes from Richard Feynman appear from his conclusions after the Challenger disaster that have similar conclusions, but this heartfelt statement from a NASA official sums it up best: Capt. Bill Readdy, associate administrator for space flight and a former astronaut, said at a news conference yesterday afternoon: “Today was a very stark reminder that this is a very risky endeavor, pushing back the frontiers in outer space. And after 113 flights, unfortunately, people have a tendency to look at it as something that is more or less routine. Well I can assure you it is not … [GlennLog]

Inquiry Putting An Early Focus On Heat Tiles. It could be months before NASA has a clear idea of what went wrong, if ever, but there are six possible causes of the disaster. By William J. Broad and James Glanz. [New York Times: NYT HomePage]

Shuttle Astronauts, RIP; Space Program, Too?. I feel nothing but sadness for the men and women who apparently perished this morning as their space shuttle… [Dan Gillmor’s eJournal]

The email I sent to Dave referencing my blog got published on scripting news!

Ronald Reagan, 1/28/86: “We’ve grown used to wonders in this century. It’s hard to dazzle us. But for 25 years the United States space program has been doing just that. We’ve grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps we forget that we’ve only just begun. We’re still pioneers.” [Scripting News]

We shall never cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we… [WIL WHEATON DOT NET: Where is my mind?]

What the Shuttles have given us. I wasn’t surprised that some webloggers are using the sad loss today of the Shuttle Columbia as yet another excuse to bicker and squabble, or to point to vague hints of terrorism. Too many in weblogging, and elsewhere, have gained their prominance due in equal parts to antagonism, distrust, and terrorism — it’s to their advantage to hint of dark deeds in any event. I was disappointed, though, to read the following from Dan Gillmor’s eJournal: Obviously we need to find out what went wrong, if we can, before sending the shuttles back up. But I fear this accident (assuming that’s what it is, as is almost surely the case) will instead be a justification for paralysis — a halt to U.S. space exploration when the proper response is to redouble humanity’s push into the frontier. It has never been more critical, given the terrestrial threats, to get the species off the planet and to find new resources for those who remain. The space station and shuttle program were under fire for other, good reasons. They do little for true exploration of space. A reexamination of the entire space program — and maybe turning it into a truly global affair… [Burningbird]

NY Times: “It is not too much to say that along with an Israeli flag, Col Ilan Ramon carried Israel’s dreams with him into space.” [Scripting News]