(no subject)

Watching the reaction ripple across my friends page, seeing the fresh shock and horror a dozen times or more.

Ben called me, woke me up. He'd seen the launch on January 16th.

I called wcg to see if he was okay. He told me that Columbia is known in space science circles as the penguin, "the big black-and-white bird that can't fly," because of all of its maintenance problems. We discussed the ridiculousness of the terrorism speculation.

curiousangel turned on the TV, and together we watched the shuttle break up. Once is enough. I don't want to watch it explode again and again, like the Challenger, like the planes hitting the World Trade Center. We'll watch the NASA press conference at 11:30, and then the TV is going off.

To seek, to strive, to find, and not to yield. They knew this could happen, and they went up anyway. God rest their souls.

(no subject)

It hurts me to see people whose first reaction to this is to look around for someone to hate.

I'm not talking about people who are afraid that it might have been terrorism. For the most part, I think those folks just don't know enough about the plausibility of shooting down a fast-moving spacecraft at 200,000 feet. I'm talking about the people who are already spinning fantasies about the evil their enemies will make of this: Bush will use this as an excuse for war! The media is certain to play up terrorism speculation to increase ratings! And - I'm not kidding, I really saw this as someone's initial reaction on LJ - only the evil racists in Congress, who can't bear the idea of non-whites in space, will prevent the space program from being utterly shut down!

Yes, we know that you think Republicans are the worst people in the world. Yes, it's terrible to think that some Republicans' first reaction to this tragedy would not be to mourn the victims or praise their courage, but to look for a way to blame people they despise. Look at the motes in those Republican eyes! Maybe you should offer to help them take it out.

Words I never thought I'd say...

Bush's address is really beautiful. It hits exactly the right tone.

These men and women assumed great risk in this service to all humanity. In an age when space flight has come to seem almost routine, it is easy to overlook the dangers of travel by rocket and the difficulties of navigating the fierce outer atmosphere of the earth.

These astronauts knew the dangers, and they faced them willingly, knowing they had a high and noble purpose in life. Because of their courage and daring and idealism, we will miss them all the more. [...]

The cause in which they died will continue. Mankind is led into the darkness beyond our world by the inspiration of discovery and the longing to understand. Our journey into space will go on.