[net.columbia] Mission 61-L Disaster

eem@jc3b21.UUCP (Emery E. Mandel) (02/01/86)

As a longtime supporter of the manned space exploration program,
I am deeply sorrowed by the loss of the Challenger seven and the
loss of the orbiter itself. Although it could take quite some
time to uncover the cause of the explosion, the exploration of
space must and will go on. In the exploration of space, there
will be losses occasionally but the benefits of exploration
outweigh the cost of attaining these benefits although we must
never forget those who are lost in this exploration.
The words that President Reagan used in his speech Tuesday
afternoon greatly comforted me. As a witness of the first and
second and third launches of
Columbia, I was especially shocked by the news of the explosion.
As I watched the launches, I never thought possible for such a
thing to happen. I'm sure others on the net feel the same way.
As far as the renaming of the net is concerned, I think it would
be an excellent reminder and tribute to the crew of Challenger.
I'm not sure what the technical effects would be. As I
understand, the renaming of a net isn't one of the easiest
things to get done. It is a very good suggestion, though!

"We will never forget them nor the last time we saw them, this
morning as they waved goodbye and slipped the surly bonds of
Earth to touch the face of God."

Emery Mandel

UUCP: jc3b21!eem