They blow up.” He has seen a lot of experimental aircraft blow up. When asked about the folks who died, he replied “The shuttle is an experimental aircraft. He replied “Once they found the problem and fixed it, yes.” He replied “Find the problem and fix it.” He was then asked if he would fly on the shuttle. They only showed his interview once, while they repeated all of the ones with folks whining on how terrible this was and we should stop. When Challenger happened, the only voice of reason was Chuck Yeager. Need for price increases (and smaller increases when they do happen), which enables more people to upgrade.
Q: Why would I want to pay more than the minimum rate?Ī: To support the publication to help it thrive and stay online: this kind of support means less future To really support This is True, you’re invited to sign up for a subscription to the much-expanded “Premium” If that sounds good, click here to open a subscribe form. This is True is an email newsletter that uses “weird news” as a vehicle to explore the human condition in an entertaining way. This page is an example of my style of “Thought-Provoking Entertainment”. And not for those going out to space.īut you know what? It was worth it in the past, and it’s worth it now.īad link? Broken image? Other problem on this page? Use the Help button lower right, and thanks. I agree completely: exploration isn’t safe - not for the Europeans who ventured out and discovered America, not for those who mapped it later. It’s wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross. If you can’t take a little bloody nose, maybe you ought to go back home and crawl under your bed. Picard whines about losing 18 crewmembers in the ensuing battle, and in response Q lectures: There’s Another Quote I Like, from Star Trek: The Next Generation (in the episode “Q Who?”) when the character “Q” first introduces humans to the Borg. They’re similar in a 21st century way as the astronauts I wrote about in a 1999 entry regarding a special occasion.Īfter the crash, a friend sent me this quote, which I found interesting considering how old it was: “When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.” –Leonardo da Vinci I didn’t know any of the astronauts that died Saturday in the Columbia disaster, but I sure know their types: they’re the kinds of people I like as representatives of America, and humanity. While a few have big egos, to a man (and woman) they’re not swaggering “forget the danger! Let’s go!” types, but were rather very thoughtful explorers - the essence of humanity. They know what they do is inherently risky, and they choose to do their jobs anyway.
In my 10 years at JPL, I met a fair number of astronauts and generally found them to be extraordinary people.
This weekend the Space Shuttle Columbia was destroyed during its atmospheric re-entry after a successful 16-day mission.Īs many of you know, I started off my professional career with NASA, at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California I went to work there the fall after the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion.