As the Space Shuttle Discovery prepares for its launch today how can we not help but think back on the disaster that ended the lives of the last shuttle crew, Columbia, to travel to space? I even - vividly - recall the first space shuttle disaster when Challenger blew up just after take-off, killing all 7 crew members. This was back in the early days of "routine" space flight and we had all just stopped watching every take-off. But, despite being at work, we were glued to the television for hours after the explosion. There were even reports of parachutes that gave us false hope that some of the crew had survived.
So, today, after many modifications and safety enhancements, the space program begins anew. And, for the first time, a woman, Eileen Collins, is in command. Godspeed, Discovery. We'll be watching and evisioning a safe mission and return.
[UPDATE] Mission scrubbed. Next time.