WASHINGTON - As the nation faces the specter of a second catastrophic space shuttle failure with Columbia’s disintegration Saturday morning as it descended through the rarified mesosphere over Texas, the inevitable question arises.
Is sending frail human beings hurtling into the hostile environs of space worth the risk?
The nation’s astronauts — those who ride the controlled explosion of rocket travel — are answering that question with an emphatic "yes!’’
It is not only worthwhile, they said a flurry of statements, TV appearances and interviews throughout the weekend. It is absolutely necessary.
"If you stop taking risks, you stop making progress in this world,’’ said retired Air Force Col. Donald Peterson, who flew aboard the Challenger in 1983, three years before it exploded. "But I realize when you’ve lost human life it's hard to say those words.’’
Indeed, 12 children lost parents in the blink of an eye Saturday when all seven crewmembers aboard Columbia perished. It was supposed to have been a morning of celebration especially in Israel and India where crewmembers Ilan Ramon and Kalpana Chawla hailed from.
Still, even as the grim details of that accident were emerging, astronauts spoke fondly of the unquenchable thirst for exploration and advancement that drove them through the intellectual, physical and emotional rigors of training.
Shuttle astronauts are typically either the military’s top pilots or they come from the civilian sector usually with a doctorate in science or engineering or occasionally medical degrees.
"While we are all understandably numbed by the enormity of the tragedy today, and while there may be cries to evaluate whether the space program should continue, I remain steadfast in my belief in space exploration,” said former shuttle astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison. In 1992, Jemison blasted into orbit aboard the space shuttle Endeavor to become the first woman of color in space. "Everyone who makes the decision to go into space does so knowing its risks and perils. Though I cannot speak for the crew of Columbia, I was cognizant of the hazards and weighed those against my desire to explore. The United States must not be daunted by this disaster nor give in to the easy temptation to retreat from the space program.’’
Despite the relative ease with which space shuttle missions seem to come off in recent years — with astronauts in polo shirts soaring playfully through the spacious shuttle bay — there was always considerable risk. As with any airline flight, this was especially true on liftoff and landing, as both the Challenger and Colombia shuttles have demonstrated.
Speaking on NBC’s "Meet the Press" Sunday, former shuttle astronaut Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., recalled how precarious landing the shuttle can be. The maneuver typically entails positioning the orbiter belly-first so the heat shield on the bottom can absorb and dissipate the tremendous heat generated as the craft speeds through the thickening atmosphere at 13,000 miles an hour.
"We made a night approach and outside the window it looked like middle of the day there was so much heat building up,’’ he said. "This is risky.’’
Some scientists argue that robots can do most of what needs to be done in space for a fraction of the cost of manned flight and virtually none of the risk.
But John Glenn, who became the first American to orbit Earth in 1962, defended the value of the manned space program despite the considerable risks. During Glenn’s flight, NASA was concerned about the guidance system and fearful about the loss of the protective heat shield. Glenn orbited the earth three times and successfully landed despite the problems, which could have caused a burn-up much like Columbia’s.
"It’s not just what goes into space,’’ he told ABC News. "It’s the very real benefits for people back here on Earth.’’
Scientists aboard Columbia were conducting some 90 experiments across a range of biomedical and engineering disciplines.
NASA shuttle program director Ron Dittemore promised that
would continue.
"There is going to be a period of mourning in this community,’’
he said. "But we’re going to fix this problem and were going
to launch the shuttle again.’’