Much of my childhood was spent being fascinated by Space. I remember writing essays and dreaming about “Space – the Final Frontier”. I would sit and listen to the space shuttle take-offs and landings live on radio in the 1980s. And, then as I grew up, Space took a back seat in my imagination. Today, Space is back in the news. Sadly.
The Columbia accident is reminiscent of the Challenger one 17 years ago. The images keep getting broadcast again and again on TV. These accidents have a unique way of focussing attention on mankind’s desire for explorations and the attendant risks. But, that should in no way stop us from the voyages of discovery. Space remains the next, the final frontier. As Dan Gillmor writes: “Space is humanity’s destiny, if it has one. We are an exploring, expansionist race. We must go on.”
