The Tragedy of the Space Shuttle Challenger

The tragedy of the Challenger faces us with losses much greater than the death of seven brave astronauts. In many ways it is a symbol for our times for all humanity.

We are justifiably proud of the power of our technological accomplishments, which have yielded extraordinary mastery in our world and even in outer space. And yet, as with the Challenger crew, all of us are passengers on a Spacecraft Earth filled with terrible explosive potential. Unfortunately, the factors controlling the use of the thousands of nuclear warheads in the world are even less predictable and manageable than the obstacles faced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. A cataclysm for our species can be just as abrupt and just as final.

In addition to the tragic loss of the Challenger crew, the world’s people must face the loss of an excessive self-confidence in technological mastery. Perhaps when we return to space again we will do so with a greater sense of our personal vulnerability and with a wiser perception of the values and dangers of our technological prowess.

CLAY C. WHITHEAD

Santa Monica