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Pastimes : Shuttle Columbia STS-107 -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bill Jackson who wrote (452)	2/8/2003 1:57:27 AM
From: Sig	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 627

<<<I think they wanted to appeal to kids to become astronauts amd get a lot of parents onside. There is zero need to expand the pool of people who want to be astronauts. Far more wish to enter than can be accepted.>>> Yes,important points... Much of space exploration could have been conducted by un-manned vehicles. But a decision was made long ago to use men in the vehicles which resulted in more costs to provide a living environment with extra weight involved. Especially since you had to bring back the men on moon voyages- even if there were some men who volunteered for a one-way trip (g) That could have been called a political decision but it was proper and necessary to bring the public imagination into the picture and obtain the huge funds and support required now and in the future. If Columbia had been just another unmanned flight, even to Venus of Mars, the loss may have been back-page news and barely noticed Would crowds rush in the Texas Motor Speedway to watch and cheer for hours as unmanned cars race around in a circle for hours ? ( were you there when Robot car #497 crashed on lap 115 in the 1997 Indy race )? Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh, guess I missed that one.... With the program seeming to proceed with relative safety, it was decided that risk would be minimal to let some school teachers and women astronauts into the program and appeal to a wider audience and get better public recognition and financial support. Hence Challenger, followed by huge progress in the safety area . For hazardous space travel, a minimum age limit of double the driving age, perhaps 28? ( I strongly believe any young'un deserves a fair shot all of lifes opportunities until he understands the rules and hazards) Then he can jump the Grand Canyon on a motorcycle if he wants. Sig