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From: bobn@bmcg.UUCP (Bob Nebert)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: Oh My God
Message-ID: <2045@bmcg.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 29-Jan-86 15:26:26 EST
Article-I.D.: bmcg.2045
Posted: Wed Jan 29 15:26:26 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 1-Feb-86 03:49:26 EST
References: <8601281921.AA01471@s1-b.arpa>
Organization: Burroughs Corp. ASG, San Diego, CA.
Lines: 31

> What will happen next?  Some predictions:
> 
> The shuttle program is in very serious trouble, and stands a good
> chance of being transfered to the military or being cancelled entirely.
> Work will start immediately on a replacement vehicle, probably a smaller
> scramjet-based TAV.  The Europeans will go ahead with Hermes and HOTOL.
> The space station will be postponed or suspended pending the development
> of a replacement vehicle.  NASA may feel compelled to invest heavily
> in space robotics.
> 
> NASA will probably survive, unless it comes out that NASA has been
> hushing up internal uneasiness about shuttle reliability.  In that case
> the civilian space program is very likely dead.
> 
> What a nightmare.

WAIT A MINUTE!! Of course the explosion was tragic but before everybody
runs out and makes wild predictions, take a second.

This has been the first in-flight fatality. Given the COMPLEX equipment
and varied experiments, not to mention the evolution of the spacecraft
itself, I'm suprised it hasn't happen sooner. NOTE: I'M JUST AS HORRIFIED
AS EVERYONE ELSE. 

If by your logic above, the first crash or explosion on a aircraft  should
have transfered the CAB (or whatever it was called back then) to military
control.  That's nonsense.

It was a tragic event, but everyone hopefully will learn and get better
by it. BTW NASA checks, rechecks and double rechecks all work. They have
an excellent safety record and I have faith in future launches.