Space Forum / Shuttle / July 2005

I was 5 when I saw my first space launch. It was not an everyday event. It
was televised and it was the greatest thing. I passed up the Rat Patrol and
Combat to watch the launch. It was every boys dream at that time. Then
tragedy. Grissom, White and Chaffee...gone. Grissom was to command the first
Apollo mission. Totally unfortunate for the space program as the media and
NASA began to slip away from each other. Then the launch of Columbia. The
media perked up and was back in bed with NASA. Then Challenger went down 72
seconds into its flight with a civilian aboard. Ten or so years previous
Apollo 13 was almost lost.

Almost 20yrs had passed with no problems until Columbia. When Columbia
burned up on re-entry everyone was horrified. A week after incident the
media storm went into blizzard mode. Like the silliness of Challenger the
media attacked NASA saying it was their fault. They attacked foriegn nations
because an Israeli was on board and a prominent one at that. They attacked
the weather and they attacked just to attack. Nothing was safe from the fury
of the media. Nothing. Then they found tape showing the foam flying free and
hitting the wing. The media went into over drive. I remember one headline
stating "NASA safety non-existant".

A long time ago a German scientist stated that space travel, no matter how
advanced we become, will always be dangerous and in some cases deadly. That
man was Werner von Braun. The media which lauded this man in the late 40's
on up through the late 70's today crucifies him in his grave. They give no
credit to his statements and his honesty. von Braun always stated that it
will not be the safest mode of travel ever. The media to this day since
Columbia's disaster believes that space travel is supposed to be a 1/2 mile
drive in a car on a closed course with rubber bumpers everywhere. The only
comparison I can make on the safety of space travel and something else is
instead of becoming an astronaut strap a leaking plastic gas can to your
back with aviation gas in it and walk through crowded city streets NOT
expecting the worse.....The media leeds you to believ that these men and
women in our space program do not expect the worse. These brave men and
women know better.