catharsis...

jkw@lanl.ARPA (01/28/86)

A few minutes ago, I wandered into a packed meeting room down the hall from my
office where a bunch of people were watching the Challenger lift-off on a
big screen TV.  When it EXPLODED, I felt like I had been kicked in the guts.
The silence in the room was deafening.   A few minutes later, someone told
me that some of the people in the meeting room were a shuttle crew here for
a briefing about an instrument to be taken up on a launch (formerly)
scheduled for later this spring.  How do you suppose they felt?  They
immediately scrambled for Houston.

I can't imagine the emotions experienced by the families of the astronauts,
not to mention those of the kids at the Cape watching their schoolteacher
being vaporized.  I feel a lot like I did when JFK was shot.

I think that Joe Tourist joyrides have just slipped a little farther into the
future.  I fervently hope that the anti-space types in Washington won't be
able to completely kill the shuttle program and that a few years from now we
will look back on this as we now do on the Apollo fire -- as an unfortunate
misstep in the dangerous activity of pioneering and one which, hopefully,
will add knowledge about safely launching future manned (peopled) missions.


       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
       ~ Dust in the wind...All we are is dust in the wind......... ~
       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
	  Jay Wooten  Los Alamos National Lab  ARPA:jkw@lanl.ARPA

john@frog.UUCP (John Woods, Software) (01/30/86)

A piece of all of our dreams died Tuesday.  We've just got to keep on
dreaming, and keep on doing something about that dream.

>I think that Joe Tourist joyrides have just slipped a little farther into the
>future.  I fervently hope that the anti-space types in Washington won't be
>able to completely kill the shuttle program and that a few years from now we
>will look back on this as we now do on the Apollo fire -- as an unfortunate
>misstep in the dangerous activity of pioneering and one which, hopefully,
>will add knowledge about safely launching future manned (peopled) missions.
> 	  Jay Wooten  Los Alamos National Lab  ARPA:jkw@lanl.ARPA

It has been noted by many commentators that the space program's popularity
peaked because of the Apollo 1 tragedy -- the public took notice, and the
public decided that the sacrifice demanded something from them.  I hope that
this tragedy has a similar effect, and that the space program manages to come
out of this stronger than before.

Perhaps the next shuttle should be named "Phoenix".

While typing this message, I happen to have looked at today's entry of my
Murphy's Law Desk Calendar -- "First Law of Travel:  It always takes longer
to get there than to get back."  We aren't there yet -- let's keep going.

--
John Woods, Charles River Data Systems, Framingham MA, (617) 626-1101
...!decvax!frog!john, ...!mit-eddie!jfw, jfw%mit-ccc@MIT-XX.ARPA

This space dedicated to Challenger and her crew,
Francis R. Scobee, Michael J. Smith, Ellison S. Onizuka, Judith Resnik,
Ronand E. McNair, Gregory B. Jarvis, and Crista McAuliffe.

"...and slipped the surly bonds of Earth to touch the face of God."

barth@tellab1.UUCP (Barth Richards) (02/07/86)

In article <334@frog.UUCP> john@frog.UUCP (John Woods, Software) writes:

>A piece of all of our dreams died Tuesday.  We've just got to keep on
>dreaming, and keep on doing something about that dream.
>
>It has been noted by many commentators that the space program's popularity
>peaked because of the Apollo 1 tragedy -- the public took notice, and the
>public decided that the sacrifice demanded something from them.  I hope that
>this tragedy has a similar effect, and that the space program manages to come
>out of this stronger than before.

Yes, I hope so too. People had been taking the shuttle flights for granted.
They had become so routine, despite minor technical problems and delays,
that most people never gave the risks involved a second thought.

Like the Apollo I disaster, the Challenger tragedy should serve to remind
all of us who had begun to think of each shuttle mission as nothing so
much as an exotic airline flight, that the risks are real and the
acheivements monumental.

When the time comes for the launch of the next manned space flight, I think
that all Americans, and indeed many others around the world, will watch with
a renewed sense of tension, and even fear, which will, it is to be hoped, be
replaced with a lifting sensation of relief and a buoyant feeling of pride.

>Perhaps the next shuttle should be named "Phoenix".

I think that this would be quite appropriate. It reminds us of our loss,
and of the risks unavoidably bound to such lofty accomplishments to which
we aspire, and yet emphasizes our determination to continue.

                                Barth Richards
				Tellabs, Inc.
				Lisle, IL

				"With just one hand held up high
				 I can blot you out, out of sight.
				 Peek-a-boo, peek-a-boo, little Earth"

                                -Kate Bush
				"Hello Earth"

jimc@haddock.UUCP (02/08/86)

> Perhaps the next shuttle should be named "Phoenix".

I feel this name would be a bit trite.  Also, to have a shuttle
named after something that "rises from its ashes" would remind us
of the images of the accident, rather than commemorate the
Challenger herself and her crew.

Though I tend not to much agree with this idea, either, I
consider it probable that the new orbiter will be called
"Challenger II".

______________________________
Jim Campbell
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