Let's all say a prayer.. - Page 2

#16 02-01-2003, 03:07 PM

My thoughts are with those who endeavor to make a difference and stand in harm's way. B.

Andy · #17 02-01-2003, 03:36 PM

It was a very sad moment today, but to progress we have to push the limits all of the time. Another accident was inevitable, and there will be more in the future.

As technology improves, we will always ask more from it, it is our human nature to test ourselves, to push the envelope. Just let us hope that their lives were not in vain, that this incident will lead to a greater understanding of the forces involved, to move us forward to our next limit.

May God rest their souls.

LarryIII · #18 02-01-2003, 07:36 PM

I am very sad becuse of the loss of the space shuttle Columbia.
I pray that the crew did not suffer too long and hope they are all in heaven.

#19 02-01-2003, 08:30 PM

I sat on the edge of my bed this morning watching our local TV coverage waiting for the sonic BOOM BOOM that accompanies every landing. Even though you wait for it, it still startles you. The booms are reassuring that the mission is over and everyone is safe. Today was different as the minutes past the realization that they would not be coming home was unbearable. The families were all present just a few miles away waiting for their loved ones to return. Sad and tragic day. Please keep them in your thoughts as you go about your daily routines.

ensteele · #20 02-01-2003, 09:34 PM

It is hard to put into words what I feel. I am so sad for every one involved and their families. My prayers go out to all of them.

alltrac · #21 02-01-2003, 11:30 PM

Need
Another
Seven
Astronauts

Ron Mummert · #22 02-01-2003, 11:31 PM

So sadly today we have once more witnessed the extinction of some of our very best. I cried for them & their families. I realize they entered into the program with full knowledge of the random inevitably of disaster. Yet they forged ahead, just like those new world explorers of medieval times & before. We of lesser drives & skills owe our very existance to these pioneers. The program must continue on. Long past the time when our great, great grandchildren have turned to dust, will the results of the persevering few be appreciated.
Let's hope the current flashes social decadence are merely glitches in a grander scheme of human survival.

Ron.

svxistentialist · #23 02-02-2003, 07:10 AM

MY thoughts are with those brave people and their families, friends and colleagues.

The Apollo 13 movie treated the danger in a realistic and human way. I remember watching the Challenger blow-up live on TV, and the disbelief is still palpable.

Coming from a scientific background, and being aware of the potential benefits for mankind in the medium and long term, I always like to think that they, astronauts and cosmonauts of all races, are up there doing it for us.

RIP

montypython · #24 02-02-2003, 07:56 AM

"If we die, we want people to accept it. We're in a risky business, and we hope that if anything happens to us it will not delay the program. The conquest of space is worth the risk of life."
-Virgil "Gus" Grissom April 3rd, 1926 - January 27, 1967

Gus's words here don't lessen the grief we all feel, but it's a reminder that every astronaut who has gone into space knows the risks involved. The bravery and dedication of these people cannot be put into words, but I think as well as feeling the sorrow, we should also be thankful that this breed is willing to take the risks for the benefit of us all.

solarsvx · #25 02-03-2003, 10:20 AM

my hearts and prayers go out to the families lost on that day..

may the future of space excelerate more => and learn from our mistakes

Aredubjay · #26 02-03-2003, 10:27 AM

I'm just catching up with threads today, but have already prayed, many times, for the families of the lost. The sadness lingers.

Noir · #27 02-03-2003, 10:38 AM

what's sad is that after this incident, the manned shuttle program will be grounded for a period of time. i hate it when people start to question the worth of technological advancement versus human lives. people who volunteered for these quests know the dangers and are willing to take the chance. i hate reading that instead of trying to remember those who gave their lives to make our lives better and move foward a tenfold, we stand still. i wonder humans learned to walk at all. we should be still crawling on all fours instead.

blackbolt94red · #28 02-03-2003, 12:16 PM

I would bet the 17 pioneers who have died just in the American Space Program would not dream of letting their deaths spell the end of our manned space exploration. Bless their hearts, they knew the risks, were aware of the danger, yet willingly, nea aggressively put their lives on the line to do this, to advance mankinds collective knowledge, to move forward, always forward....

pardon my spelling, this is hard to do with tears rolling down my cheeks.......

GreenMarine · #29 02-03-2003, 12:48 PM

I can let everyone know that there is no way that it could have been a terrorist attack. I work with all types of military ordnance. That includes all missiles and bombs that the US military currently uses. Let me assuer everyone that there is no way that anything that WE have could hit the shuttle.... We have the most advanced weapons on the planet (personal experience). The shuttle was at about 200,000 feet and traveling about 12,500 miles per hour. No weapon that we have, or anyone else has, could catch something moving that fast at that altitude.... There are a few possibilities were some military jets could get to about 90,000 ft and then fire something but nothing would be able to catch a shuttle going 12,000 mph. it is physically impossible... you can tell because what is the shuttle doing at that speed??? The friction of the air causes extreme heat on the surface during re-entry, right. the Heat shield protects it from just turning into a fireball and really burning..... Now inorder for a missile to blow it up, it would have to catch up to the shuttle. That would involve going faster than the shuttle... And with no heat shield on missiles the missile would infact self destruct due to it's extreme speed and the friction on it's surface... Also there are no missiles that ANYONE has that would ever beable to go that fast.......... And so after this little lesson we can concluse that the only way for it to be a terroist attack would be from inside the shuttle it's self... I would trust the Air Force enough to say that there is nothing on that shuttle that NASA didn't want there..... And from that we can conclude that there is about a 99.9% chance that it wasn't a terrorist attack....................... Just thought that I would put my military oppinion in the mix with everything else.....

But it is a tragic loss and I was extremly shocked to wake up saturday and see that on the news as I had breakfast... The hearts of all the marines on M.C.A.S. Beaufort are with the families of the brave astronauts....

SVXRide · #30 02-03-2003, 01:24 PM

As a NASA employee at the Goddard Space Flight Center I want to thank everyone on this site for their thoughts and prayers for the Shuttle Astronauts. As a whole, the general population tends to forget just how dangerous space travel is (I was a Launch Service Manager for several Expendable Launch Vehicles - aka "big rockets" - for 8 years and had the unfortunate experience to see a few rockets (Pegasus, Connestoga, Delta, Atlas) fail on the way up). Every launch is a tribute to the brains and hard work of those involved -- it really hurts when people start making comparisons between Shuttle launches and Metro Buses (i.e., hey, no big deal, it's routine by now). Here's a test...ask people around you if they knew before the accident - 1. when the Shuttle was scheduled to land, 2. How long it had been in space, and 3. How many people were on the Shuttle.
-Bill