Perhaps the loss of Columbia is most startling because of the years of uneventful Shuttle flights since Challenger; over 80 of them, resulting in a "ho-hum" public attitude toward the program. The stark reality is that nothing is without risk, and all of the fine people on board and on the ground knew that. But they also knew that even if their lives were shortened, they would have lived more satisfying and meaningful lives than ten of most people.The media reaction has been not only to reflect the tragedy of the loss, but to exploit it to sell, for a short time, a news product different from looming war. In doing so, they have raised issues in the form of indicting questions and commentary, much of which is weak in substance."Should manned space flight continue?" Absolutely! "Exploration" by machines excludes man's intuition and adaptability, no matter how sophisticated the machine."NASA warned of risk of losing tiles!" A trite reiteration of the obvious that is more inflammatory than revelatory. It ranks with "Captain Smith warned that hole in hull could sink Titanic" for silliness.Perhaps the best item in today's AVweb is the article by Astronaut Jay Apt, which realistically addresses Columbia's history and the background of the thermal tiles on that unique spacecraft. While its technical content is within the ability of many news anchors to cmprehend, I doubt that it's within their ability to justify as "newsworthy." It's not dramatic enough for their field of entertainment. Dave Shaw
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/features/reader-mail/avmail-february-10-2003