Breaking news-Space Shuttle Columbia lost over Texas

[Shinobi128]

Originally posted by Ichabod
Look at the dates on the auctions, I think they were put up before this even happened.

If you look at the bid history you can see that no one had bid on those things until today, which I found to be quite suprising/sad.

Also, Fark.com had posted a link of a sicko selling "Debris from the Space Shuttle" on eBay. It was quickly taken down.

[MVS]

I don't think it's that far off. Perhaps 500 years or less. The Earth is going to become uninabitable by then.

[Regus]

Perhaps the symbolism is becoming increasingly lost on my generation, but, it didn't strike me as particularly tragic. There are plenty of people serving the country in various capacities all the time that get killed, and no one even cares. Fact is, the people involved knew that there was risk involved, that's just the way things go sometimes.

This is pretty much how I feel as well. The loss of human life is always a tragic event, but they knew the risks involved.
What exactly was the purpose of their mission anyway?

I think NASA needs to accomplish something major to justify their existence. Sure, they landed on the moon, but now what? Why not create colonies there, or at least build a space station that isn't held together with duct tape and string like the Russians, but more importantly, they need to develop an alternative form of propulsion.

Who here thinks man will walk on Mars within our life time?

[station82o]

Originally posted by mattvanstone
I don't think it's that far off. Perhaps 500 years or less. The Earth is going to become uninabitable by then.

While I understand the urgency of the depletion of the earth's natural resources... I have not heard many reasons to believe inhabitation would occur so soon.

[Tracer]

Originally posted by Regus
This is pretty much how I feel as well. The loss of human life is always a tragic event, but they knew the risks involved.
What exactly was the purpose of their mission anyway?

I think NASA needs to accomplish something major to justify their existence. Sure, they landed on the moon, but now what? Why not create colonies there, or at least build a space station that isn't held together with duct tape and string like the Russians, but more importantly, they need to develop an alternative form of propulsion.

Who here thinks man will walk on Mars within our life time?

Landing on the moon was simply romantic in its goal. There have been numerous more ground breaking moves my NASA than just landing on the Moon.

Hubble and Voyager come to mind.

Originally posted by station82o
While I understand the urgency of the depletion of the earth's natural resources... I have not heard many reasons to believe inhabitation would occur so soon.

It could though. BUT!

Research in science and engineering can help prevent that from happening before it does.

By 2050, I think we'll know (if we're alive) where humanity is heading. By then, if all oil is gone (oil is important for more than just petro-chemical fuel) then I think it's safe to say that civilization will wilt and come to a halt.

ºTracer

[Diff-chan]

I dont think Earth will become inhabitable, but the human population of the world is spiraling out of control. There will be MAJOR problems in 15 or 20 years if the human population's growth rate does not slow down. We are talking mass disease famine etc. all of that. Scientific fact eh.

And yes we need a replacement for fossil fuels. If we can come up with a clean replacement for it, the world will benefit a great, great deal. Being in California now, I can see the mass of cars just smogging up the entire world. Its horrible. And no Dean Kamen, the fucking Segway is not going to do the trick.

Remember, we only get one Earth, so take care of it!

[Tracer]

Originally posted by diffusionx
I dont think Earth will become inhabitable, but the human population of the world is spiraling out of control. There will be MAJOR problems in 15 or 20 years if the human population's growth rate does not slow down. We are talking mass disease famine etc. all of that. Scientific fact eh.

And yes we need a replacement for fossil fuels. If we can come up with a clean replacement for it, the world will benefit a great, great deal. Being in California now, I can see the mass of cars just smogging up the entire world. Its horrible. And no Dean Kamen, the fucking Segway is not going to do the trick.

Remember, we only get one Earth, so take care of it!

Precisely. And there's only so far those fuels take space exploration.

To talk about what Regus had said for a bit.

People die serveing thier country all the time and it's awful that it happens, what makes this diffrent from me is not only (like the millitary) did these men and women aknowledge the dangers and their lives vunerabilites but they did so not with the intention on protecting some vista somewhere, or gathering to usurp a volitile regime. They put thier lives on the line for science, pure and arbitrary (seemingly) and practical and applicable. How can man land on mars with knowing more about engineering and the dynamics between objects in evronments totally unlike that on Earth? Current propulsion CANNOT take men to Mars. It can take probes, and it'll take a year to do just that. Can we carry enough water for these astronauts who would go? What about food, weight is a huge problem when you're talking about space travel. We don't have the technology, we don't have the know how. We can only learn that in space. And for what gain? I think every man and woman would benefit beyond words to see the Earth in thier eyes, whole and without borders. To see the thin fragile blue line that divides the barren lifelessness of space from the plenty and comfort of Earth. Maybe then, we wouldn't take our atmosphere for granted. If everyone could see Earth rise as a tiny blue star near the horizon on Mars maybe then people would forget and signifigense that they thought the West Bank or the Korean DMZ had. That might be a stretch, but nonetheless - Space is our future. Maybe not our future home, but we are bound to it.

Back to what Diffusion said: There are huge problems still. Population is one, and the over use of fossil fuels. I know as well as you Diff. Myself, living in the city with the nations worst air quality, I see it every day. The heat gets worse every year. Soon if not already, the icecaps will be getting smaller and smaller. Solutions need to be found. As much as space is our future, we have no future without Earth. Science is the tool we need most and we need it now. I don't belive god is going to save the rightous, but I belive that we can save ourselves with the pursuit of the truth in science.

ºTracer

[Kinopio]

Originally posted by Tracer
Science is the tool we need most and we need it now. I don't belive god is going to save the rightous, but I belive that we can save ourselves with the pursuit of the truth in science.

ºTracer

Let me put my own spin on that:

We need to spend less time and resources on religion, and more on science. Religion is the cause of half of the worlds problems, and Science can cure the other half of the problems.

On a slightly different topic, which is more relevant today: 2001 or Dr. Strangelove?

[taloony]

Originally posted by Tracer
I ahte to say so, but I felt much more gravity behind Challanger, but this is no more or less terrible, and this one I actually saw in the sky.

I agree, though it's probably just personal reasons. I remember my 1st grade teacher claiming to be a good friend of the teacher on board, and we were sitting in class, watching, when it happened.

This... I just found out about right now. I've been gone all day, and hadn't heard a thing about this. It's sad, a definite tragedy. I hope NASA's funding doesn't get cut because of it, yet I can't seem to summon the save feelings that I felt then, as a six/seven year old.

[Master of 7s]

Heard about this yesterday. Haven't seen any footage, but the first thought that popped in my head was "Oh great, Chalenger 2. "

Then almost immediately afterwards "I wonder if our 'president' will be stupid enough to try to spin this disaster as a terrorist action in his case against Saddam?" *Sigh* A cynical mind has I.

But at any rate I feel pretty much the same way about this as I do when I hear about major earthqauakes. Yeah it's messed up, but what are you going to do? Callous as it may sound, it's events like this that help remind humankind that we are not the masters of our world. We can't control everything and we are not omnipotent.

Oh and to all the soothsayers of the Earth's imminent demise. The Earth and all of mankind is already on a one way collision course to a firey doom anyways. Read your Bible.