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From: hollombe@ttidcc.UUCP (The Polymath)
Newsgroups: net.columbia,net.space
Subject: Why we care
Message-ID: <130@ttidcc.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 4-Feb-86 13:28:32 EST
Article-I.D.: ttidcc.130
Posted: Tue Feb  4 13:28:32 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 7-Feb-86 20:25:45 EST
Reply-To: hollombe@ttidcc.UUCP (The Polymath)
Organization: The Cat Factory
Lines: 53
Xref: watmath net.columbia:2092 net.space:5607


Below is a message I posted to our local bulletin  board  on  1/28/86.  I'm
posting  it because I've repeatedly heard (not here) the question raised as
to why we feel such strong emotion over the death of seven astronauts  when
hundreds  of  people  die on the highways each day.  The second half of the
message is my attempt at an answer.

==============================================================================
From hollombe Wed Jan 29 10:29:34 1986
To: vox
Subject: Shuttle

I also watched the explosion on a VCR using extreme slow  motion  of  NBC's
slow  motion.  There's  no question it was the main tank that blew.  In one
frame you can distinctly see the  start  of  the  major  explosion  at  the
forward  tip  of  the tank.  This was preceded by flames at the rear of the
tank and one or two minor explosions near the center between the  tank  and
the Shuttle.

The Shuttle was doing Mach 3 at the time and the main tank is very fragile.
Even  a  minor  compromise  of  its  integrity  at  that  speed would allow
aerodynamic forces to tear it to shreds. [Personal speculation:  The  minor
explosion  blew  a  hole in the side of the tank which allowed external air
pressure to collapse the nose.]

That seems to be what happened.  Why is still anyone's guess and likely  to
be  for  some  time.  Last  I  heard the search planes had reported finding
pieces of Shuttle in the ocean off the cape.

As to why the depth of feeling expressed -- one could as well ask about the
feelings  expressed  over  Kennedy's  assassination.  I  think  it's partly
because the astronauts were our personal representatives in space.  Many of
us  would have been willing to sacrifice our careers, plans, or part of our
anatomy to go where they went.  We couldn't all go, so they  went  for  us.
This time, they died for us.

It's also partly because the  Shuttle  is  "our  bird".  We,  the  American
People,  built it with our hopes, dreams, and tax money.  Some of us worked
on it directly (I still have "Team Member -- Space Shuttle" license  frames
on  my  car), but all of us contributed something.  It hurts to see a piece
of that go down in flames.


-- Polymath

==============================================================================
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe)
Citicorp(+)TTI
3100 Ocean Park Blvd.     Geniuses are people so lazy they
Santa Monica, CA  90405   do everything right the first time.
(213) 450-9111, ext. 2483
{philabs,randvax,trwrb,vortex}!ttidca!ttidcc!hollombe