25 years after the Challenger disaster, where do you want the space program to go?
25 years ago today, seven astronauts and the space shuttle Challenger were lost. They are not forgotten: Michael J. Smith, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis and Judith Resnik.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challenger_disaster
Clearly, we're at a crossroads for space exploration. The aging shuttle fleet is being retired and the Constellation project has been canceled (or at least indefinitely delayed). The bravery and sacrifice of many astronauts over the years has not been in vain. The scientific developments have had massive impact on modern life and technology. The inspirational voyages have had immeasurable impact in their illustration of the American spirit.
Where would you like us to go from here? Some would like the Constellation project restored. Some would like to turn space travel over to private business. What would you propose as the future of NASA and space exploration?
2011-01-28T07:57:33Z
As an aside: does anyone remember what they were doing when they heard the news? If memory serves, I was in the second grade. We often watched shuttle launches live on TV.
Anonymous2011-01-28T08:53:53Z
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I was at work when it happened and heard about it some time after 10AM. I remember it really affected me because up to that point I never dreamed a Shuttle Mission could ever go wrong. I watched the videos of it over and over in disbelief as I suppose many did. I remember it really affected everyone for a long time. Definitely a very depressing time for all the U.S. and NASA. I wondered about the Teacher Christa McAuliffe's and how it must have affected her pupils. 25 years later, it would be interesting to hear what they went through and felt during the aftermath of that very unfortunate event.
I do hope NASA can continue space exploration. I would like to see a colony on Mars and wish I could go but if they ever get to that point I will be much too old. Could you imagine the ramifications of people actually living and thriving on another planet? Mars seems like the only possibility as the other planets are not even remotely possible for colonization. I understand that some planets give off such high radiation that would make human habitation inconceivable. Considering there is an atmosphere although thin perhaps there would be some protection from meteorites and such. I understand a moon base is in the works as a possible next step. I think we might be seeing more private enterprises tackling space. The Spaceship One Project was interesting but a permanent settlement on Mars is very exciting. Great question by the way.
it form of feels some people think of the return and forth exploded. Challenger did not explode. The exterior tank grew to become into ruptured by using an exhaust leak from a busted O-ring on between the boosters. It sprayed exhaust gasses onto the backside of the exterior tank, commencing a hollow that led to pressurized hydrogen to spill out of the tank, genuinely turning it into it truly is very own little rocket. This led to the entire tank to buckle and are available aside, which then led to the finished stack to seperate from one yet another. The surprising G-forces (something like 12 to 20 Gs, stressfull yet survivable) skilled by ability of the return and forth at this factor led to it to come again aside into products, however the group cabin remained quite often intact. The g-forces from this could have knocked the group subconscious. If it did not, probability is the cabin did not safeguard stress, and on the altitude the group cabin grew to become into at could in basic terms enable some seconds of useful understanding. The cabin grew to become into intact till it hit the water, the end results of that's what maximum possibly could have killed the astronauts. there grew to become into no explosion. The clouds you spot are the hydrogen and oxygen drinks increasing without postpone into gas, mixed with small debris from the form. there's a fireball from the hydrogen combusting, yet this grew to become right into a results of the breakup, not the reason of it. If there have been an explosion, the return and forth could have been obliterated instantaneous and the group killed quickly.
We as the human race who claim to own the earth will eventually either become extinct or have to find another inhabitable planet due to the expansion and heating up of the sun..though thats a long time off..therefore in theory space travel and exploration remains important ... however it doesn't come Cheap...but what price the survival of us when its in our nature to destroy those around us who don't conform to our ideals or beliefs
i'd like for us to be able to get to other planets that we can actually do anything on, but there's only narrow windows where we can even travel to mars, and since we can't go anywhere near light speed, we'll never reach other solar systems that are parsecs away.