[MtnGoat]

you died doing what you had a passion for, and there's no better epitaph than that. Your loss touches us all deeply, for some part of the yearning to see new things, experience new places, and travel beyond the beyond is carried in each human heart. What you strived to do and see brought a small piece of the wonders of the cosmos back for each of us, the brave work of you, those who preceded you, and those who shall follow. A daring crew lost on the shores of space, yet bringing us a tiny bit closer to the eternal in doing so, you've earned a place in the never ending epic of history. Once again we each share the grief of inevitable human loss, as when sailors braved the wide ocean in wooden ships, and now when humans dare to defy the immutable laws of physics and probability applied on a cosmic scale, and the house wins. Though the risk is often forgotten in an age when spaceflight is considered routine, your loss illustrates the boldness of the human drive to explore. In the face of tremendous, impersonal forces which must be held in check, while also held in delicate balance, for us to even take the tiniest steps off the surface of this world. Yet you risked it all to carry us farther along our destiny, to high orbit, and perhaps eventually to the stars

[Mt. Frank]

Thank you MtnGoat. Very beautiful words to help us cope with a tragic loss.

[Backpacker Joe]

Once again I say, MTN Goat for Pres.. I dont even know you well, but I love you! I posted a "Lost shuttle" link and FOUR *******people resonded to it! Out of 86 that looked at it! Our society is BANKRUPT, and LOST! There is NO hope! I dont ask for much, just a little acknowledgement of compassion and Patriotism! I guess that's to much to ask! 86 people read, FOUR responded! God save the Queen! These seven people deserve BETTER than this! TB

[Realist]

The 7 kids killed by the avalanche near Revelstoke was 10 times worse in my mind than the shuttle. Kind of funny that the biggest proponents of war get all weepy eyed when a few brave folks get killed doing their duty.

[#19]

[MtnGoat]

[Backpacker Joe]

Well thanks pappy. I know it'll be hard for you to hear, but I DONT need your approval feel good about myself! I also dont need your approval to have credibility! That said my point MIGHT have been that I'd have liked to have seen more people pooring their hearts out on this forum about this tragedy! It simply saddened me. That's all. Thanks for the compassion Pappy. TB

[Backpacker Joe]

And Mr. Goat did his normal great job addressing Mr. Jackass "REALIST"! TB

[#19]

[Backpacker Joe]

Pappy, maybe I went too far. As I said before I had hoped for more of a responce. I appologize if I offended anyone, that really wasnt my point. I'm as guilty (maybe more) as anyone at sounding off to much at times. You are correct in your description of Mr. Goats point. I should have made mine without insulting anyone. TB Oh and Pappy, I'm pretty sure your credibility isnt going away in my eyes just because youve said something I disagree with!

[#19]

[Backpacker Joe]

Point taken! I am very passionate about things, but my mind is not closed most of the time! TB

[Karen]

First of all I want to commend all of you for continuing to post even when other don't agree with your positions. How else can we learn from each other? If we all had the same opinions and felt the same way about everything it would be a pretty dull world. Dylan Thomas the poet wrote a great line once, "After the first death there is no other." IMHO many of us (including me) get used to terrible events because there is so much suffering and the way it is displayed via the media is Hollywoodish. I don't know about any of you but I am tired of hearing about "make-shift memorials" and "closure" and, well you get the message. I'm still not quite saying what I intend to say, let me ramble a bit until I can wrap it up with a bit of sense. I was offended by a friend of mine who made a sick joke about the 7 lives that were lost. I did not grieve in the sense that I would if someone I were close to died (whether in the line of duty or not) but I had and still have a lot of awe and respect for those who undertake such difficult jobs. I believe that those of you who have ever been in the military or in a dangerous line of work WOULD feel this more than someone like me who has NEVER been in the military, never been near space, never seen combat or taken on such challenges as those who aim for the heavens. I feel the loss in a more philosophical sense than I do a personal sense because I didn't know these men as individuals and I also did not know the 7 young skiers as individuals either. Whose lives were most important? That's an unanswerable question. Certainly the 7 lives that were lost on the Columbia will have a larger impact in the geographical, economical, political sense because so much of our national interests are tied up in these programs. But the 7 young skiers who were lost -- who knows what symphonies they may have written or what mountains they may have climbed had they not perished in an avalanche. I would imagine, though, that the sons and the daughters of those on the Columbia will STILL be proud years from now when they say "My dad (or my Mom) was an astronaut." Death is a strange country I've never been to. I'll get there when I need to but such choices are not always ours to make. Who made the avalanche? Who installed the ceramic tiles? Who knows? If the tiles were the cause of the Columbia disaster then something can be learned but risk can never be taken out of living. And as for the 7 skiers it sounds to me from my reading that everyone was doing the "right" thing -- beacons, front guard, rear guard, etc. Did anyone listen to Rooney at the end of 60 Minutes last night? He made a powerful speech on behalf of the 7 lives lost on the Columbia. He said it better than I could. Backpacker Joe, don't ever get so mad at people you stop posting. I don't agree with you about a lot of things but I admire you for having the courage to be different and to be something of a maverick. I like people who HAVE opinions, even if they do differ from mine. There are so many people that don't have opinions or strong feelings about anything. I'd rather have an argument with someone (not fisticuffs, thanks) than chat with someone who nods in agreement with every single word said or written. Personally, one of the few times I cried in my life was upon discovering a dead seagull on the West Coast trail many years ago. Why did that touch me to the extent it did? I may never know. Tears come hard to me .... words come much easier. And we DO grieve differently and are touched in different ways by different events and IMO that is a GOOD thing. Keep up the good fight everyone but don't stop posting. Karen

[Dean]

Karen, all I could add to your sentiments would be one word: Beautiful. You have put into words (as did Mtn Goat) a depth of feeling and respect. Thank you both.

[Backpacker Joe]

Cheers to Miss. Karen. And a thank you too! TB