As the journey into space continues, there is hope for safe missions and the recollection of past disasters.
Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing on 9/11. Many people can also remember what they were doing when they learned of the Challenger and Columbia disasters. With Atlantis currently in orbit around Earth, it is natural to be both excited and a little worried about the explorations and work being done in space.
On January 28, 1986, I was in seventh grade science class when some kids who had just come from band class came in and told us the space shuttle carrying the teacher had exploded during launch. They had been listening to the launch on the radio. My science teacher was a bit rattled and didn't want to believe what the students were saying until an announcement came over the intercom system confirming that it was true. We filed into the lunch room that day and televisions had been rolled into the cafeteria so we could watch the news. We saw the explosion replayed over and over and tracked the pieces of debris as they streamed downward and splashed into the Atlantic. On the news that night, every minute of the newscast was filled with Challenger coverage. Even the weather report had a little space shuttle figure showing what the winds were like in different levels of the atmosphere and discussing temperatures in Florida that day, wondering if any environmental issues could have played a roll.
On February 1, 2003, I was sitting at my computer on a Saturday morning while my husband was at work and my young son played in the living room. I was instant messaging a friend who is also a stay-at-home mom whose husband was at work that morning. I had CNN on in the background and saw the usual program interrupted as the words "Shuttle explodes over Texas" appeared on the bottom of the screen. I knew the shuttle was supposed to be landing. By this time everyone knew the dangers of launches, but landings seemed relatively safe, low-power descents where the craft glided through the atmosphere to its airplane-like landing. But today the TV screen was filled with an image that looked like a large bright meteor breaking up in the atmosphere as it streaked downward toward Earth. Now everyone was once again reminded of the dangers of spaceflight, particularly the launches AND reentry.
My hope is that there will never be another date, time, and place etched in my mind recording a tragedy in the exploration of space. Certainly it is unrealistic to think that flawless operations will reign from here on out, although that must certainly be the goal. But the hope is that major catastrophic events can be avoided. And every time another shuttle launches, lands, or orbits our blue globe in their tiny spaceship, we fervently wish for a safe journey and successful mission.
