‘Humans in Space’

I am 18 years old, and had never seen a person die before. But I watched with horror when the space shuttle exploded into a ball of flames. To be witness to something that sudden and final was not only painful, but also incomprehensible. I could not believe that, after so many perfect liftoffs, the shuttle and seven crew members could disappear forever, leaving a plume of smoke as her only remains.

I can now understand my parents’ feelings toward the day that John F. Kennedy was assassinated. I will always remember that scene of the shuttle exploding: a permanent etching in my mind.

But, after the time of sorrow has passed, we must continue to explore space and all that space contains. Otherwise, those seven men and women will have died for nothing. This last frontier is still very new, and we must not stop because we have met our first major setback. When added to the thousands of men and women who gave their lives while exploring Earth--our very country for example--these seven adventurers have died for a most noble cause. We must pay the sacrifices in order to gain the rich rewards that space can offer to man.

MIKE MITCHELL

Costa Mesa