- 28 Aug 2003 02:10
#24383
I didn't see the program, but I do think it's rather absurd that we treat our space program so poorly. People make mistakes! Engineers make miscalculations, controllers give the wrong coordinates, whatever... everybody screws up sometimes, and it's unfortunate that NASA is under such heavy scrutiny and criticism for making a mistake.
Those men and women on that shuttle, Columbia, knew full well that they could die on the mission. They were trained to handle the flight and all related procedures, and I am certain they understood the potential consequences of a mistake either on the ground or up in the shuttle. These people were tremendously brave for going up there, and it is unfortunate that they have been taken from us; however, the best solution is not to say "sorry, no more funding - you screwed up!" The best solution is to say, "In the honor of those who gave their lives for this program, we shall retool, improve, and move on."
That's just, personally, what I think. The federal bureaucrats probably know just about nothing as far as what it takes to make NASA work and be successful, yet they are in charge of appropriating funds. If they don't like it, they don't vote for it - and they don't have to understand it either. I think it's really unfortunate, but until our legislators start listening to NASA and taking their word for what they truly need in order to operate in excellence, this kind of thing may happen again.