(no subject)

For the first hour or so, there was shock. Followed by a small amount of relief that Brian's friend who is an astronaut was not on board (he had gone up in Columbia last March).

And now, there is grief. Sorrow for the crew, sorrow for their families. Sorrow for all the good NASA folks (okay, I'm biased, but the people at NASA are by and large the nicest group of government employees you're likely to find) who will have to spend months -- years -- asking "what if"? For the ground crews who watched in horror as the tragedy unfolded.

And concern, what if this kills the space program? And what about the crew on board the Space Station?

I think this from geekchick is worth rereading.