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From: rhi@druxu.UUCP (IrvingR)
Newsgroups: net.columbia
Subject: Re: Side comment on the disaster
Message-ID: <1758@druxu.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 29-Jan-86 17:59:39 EST
Article-I.D.: druxu.1758
Posted: Wed Jan 29 17:59:39 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 31-Jan-86 23:44:59 EST
References: <1264@mtuxo.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Denver
Lines: 32

The whole debate over manned versus unmanned space flights has
raged periodically both on the net and in public for some time;
while great strides have been made in robot technology, the data gathering
and relay functions of humans (sorry to sound like Spock) currently
far surpass any fully-automated devices.

In the final analysis, however, the whole debate revolves around one's
long-term attitude to space exploration.  If you believe that space
exploration is for the purposes of knowledge enhancement and perhaps
mineral recovery from distant planets, then a robot-only future is OK.
However, if you envisage the desire of, or need for, members of the human race 
ultimately to venture permanently beyond our current abode, then it
is essential for man to venture into space, exploring just
how easy long-term survival is out there.

I personally regard the Space Shuttle program as "opening the way to the
stars" as John Young (Capt of 1st Columbia mission) put it, as it gives us the
opportunity to construct large structures in Earth orbit which could never
possibly be launched from Earth.

Tuesday's tragedy will long be remembered; I'm sure few of us have forgotten
Grissom, Chaffee and White or for that matter the 4 known Russian cosmonauts
killed in their program.  But we must honor our dead heroes by continuing
the manned exploration of space.  As an aside, I wonder how many of the
manned program's detractors realize that 5 of our fellow citizens die in
auto accidents every HOUR while 2 more are murdered.

LONG LIVE THE SHUTTLE AND THE MANNED EXPLORATION OF SPACE!!!

Rich Irving			druxu!rhi	mhuxm!rhib

"All views expressed are those of my telephone answering machine"