Okay. I feel I have to continue a small bit on my feelings towards the whole Columbia thing...
I can remember seeing the "Enterprise" (the one that has never really "flown") piggyback on that 747 during those tests in the '70s (with that big white cap over the engines) and I remember thinking how cool it was... Then the one day, they let it disconnect and glide to earth on its own ... I watched the first shuttle launch on tv (it seems like it was maybe 1981?). I can remember thinking that it was the coolest thing I had ever seen... even today, when I sit and watch shuttles launch, I can't help but be in awe of the "total coolness." When it does that big roll about ten seconds after launch to get into the right attitude, it's just incredible... when I watch that roll, I realize the awesome power that is being unleashed to create the energy to get that big thing off the ground, let alone into orbit above the earth... After Challenger, I never lost sight of the dangers involved in all the awe... we're all only humans... and none of us is perfect... it is horrible that mistakes have to be made that result in anyone ever losing their life... I hope this is the last time I ever have to feel this way about a space program that has the incredible potential for all the greatest of possibilities.