Columbia
I turned on the TV Saturday morning just as the news of Columbia was breaking. My heart sank and I have not been the same since. At the same time, watching the wreckage of one of four remaining orbiters streak across the early morning Texas sky, I felt a profound sense of honor for the men and women of the shuttle program, as well as great pride in my country. While this accident is tragic and terrible, and has dealt a powerful blow to our country, the men and women who rode Columbia into orbit knew the risks involved. Spaceflight is not routine.
This event brings up several questions. The first one, of course, is what caused this terrible accident? Was it insulation from the external fuel tank? The technical cause of the accident needs to be determined. Another question: have funding cuts to NASA made accidents like this one more likely? What is our national priority? Some would argue that human spaceflight is not worth the cost. Although I don't have data to prove it, I believe that it is worth it and that we should evaluate the support that NASA receives. Some are more eloquent at stating our need for spaceflight than me.
Most of you know that I have a special place in my heart for all things that fly, both in and out of the atmosphere. I aspire to fly things for a living. Watching Columbia break up at Mach 18.3 had a profound effect on me. Still, if given the opportunity, I would strap myself into Endeavour, Discovery, or Atlantis and ride 7 million pounds of thrust into orbit. RIP Columbia.
7:18:15 AM 
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