GalacticMu

Did something hit the shuttle on launch, you ask?

Let me see, I will extract my sextant, my magnifying lamp and my Endeavour scale-model and — yes. The answer is yes, ABC, something hit the shuttle. Was it that white speck you’ve so dramatically circled in red? I dunno, maybe, and the honest answer is that it doesn’t matter.

And before you hyperventilate with my flippant dismissal of what could result in the untimely expiration of many brave scientists, I have this to say: something always hits the shuttle, and something always has. It is a part of the launching process. This had been covered ad infinitum by both NASA and various other news media organizations (probably even yourself, ABC), and no one but NASA seems particularly invested in reminding us that SHIT HITS THE SHUTTLE AS A PART OF NORMAL OPERATIONS.

To make matters less in your favor, the same article is pretty much a non-stop parade of NASA officials - trained scientists all - saying “Basically: no, it’s fine.” Of course none of them can confirm 100% that it’s fine, they are scientists and their greatest weakness is declaring anything with finality (these are people whom you can force a short-circuit just by bringing any subject at all around to whether or not this is all really happening). But with answers ranging from “It’s an optical illusion,” to “The shuttle simply wasn’t going fast enough,” somehow ABC, you still felt it prudent to headline with the fear-mongering “Did something hit the shuttle?” Gasp!

Did terrorists hit the shuttle with a piece of ice?

No, but it never hurts to ask the question, right? As a headline?

Did Obama’s lack of experience cause the shuttle to be hit with foam debris?

And I know that this is some world-class tantruming from me, but most days I am unspeakably pessimistic about the average American’s involvement in our own space program; this happens to be one of the speakably pessimistic days. I receive with a total lack of surprise that media interest is not at all in what the mission might be about (and this one is unusually interesting) but instead revs up the graphics for the next shuttle disaster. It’d be like if they failed to cover a university finding the cure for Alzheimer’s because they were too busy making graphics for the next big school shooting*.

I’d also like to clarify that I don’t think the Shuttle operations are totally safe. Clearly they aren’t. There are two terrible tragedies to demonstrate that they aren’t. But the astronauts know and accept this fact, as I know and accept it.  ABC, you pander to the self-righteous, ignorant segment of America that believes not only that one of the greatest scientific interests that mankind has ever undertaken is somehow subject to their critique, but also that they might know better. They know what we should be spending public money on. They know what is safe and what is not safe. They know what sciences are valuable to the species and which ones aren’t. Because they watched the Invasion of the Body Snatchers remake with Nicole Kidman and they don’t want to be CG puked on by pod-people.

*I might be overdoing it a little.