Spring Break
Astrophysicist discusses NASA
Andy Silva
Issue date: 4/16/03 Section: News
All seven astronauts aboard the Columbia died while the shuttle disintegrated over Texas. According to Tyson, astronauts acknowledge the risk involved in space travel and being on the frontier.
"There is a part of us that deep down knows that when you are on this frontier you put your life at risk," Tyson said. "If someone dies it does not change our awareness of the frontier, because it is part of the nature of a frontier of discovery."
Despite this knowledge of danger, Tyson said he believes most astronauts would not rethink their vocation.
"The astronauts all know about this risk," Tyson said. "I bet if you polled all of [the astronauts], they would be on the next launch."
The tragedy is the first since the Challenger tragedy of 1986 in which the seven astronauts aboard the Challenger were killed when the shuttle exploded 73 seconds following lift off. According to Tyson, while these two events certainly stand out, people should also see how many times NASA missions have gone on without a hitch.
"Another way to look at it is how successful NASA has been," Tyson said. "So, you could take it as they have been 98 percent safe."
In both the Columbia and Challenger tragedies, the families of the astronauts were at Cape Canaveral. The families of the Columbia astronauts were waiting for the astronauts to return from their mission, while the families of the Challenger had just said goodbye less than two minutes before. Tyson said it can be difficult to watch.
"You feel the pain of the loved ones who were waiting at the Cape for the shuttle to arrive, and it never arrived," Tyson said. "The fact that it is shown in real time is more upsetting than it is when you learn about it after the fact."
There will be a great deal of pressure on NASA for their next mission to be a success, Tyson said. Safety, he said, and finding out what went wrong and fixing that problem are the highest priorities.
"I think that they are always striving for safety," Tyson said. "What people do not know is how much safety is in the system. I work closely enough with NASA to know that they put safety as the highest priority in all they do."
"There is a part of us that deep down knows that when you are on this frontier you put your life at risk," Tyson said. "If someone dies it does not change our awareness of the frontier, because it is part of the nature of a frontier of discovery."
Despite this knowledge of danger, Tyson said he believes most astronauts would not rethink their vocation.
"The astronauts all know about this risk," Tyson said. "I bet if you polled all of [the astronauts], they would be on the next launch."
The tragedy is the first since the Challenger tragedy of 1986 in which the seven astronauts aboard the Challenger were killed when the shuttle exploded 73 seconds following lift off. According to Tyson, while these two events certainly stand out, people should also see how many times NASA missions have gone on without a hitch.
"Another way to look at it is how successful NASA has been," Tyson said. "So, you could take it as they have been 98 percent safe."
In both the Columbia and Challenger tragedies, the families of the astronauts were at Cape Canaveral. The families of the Columbia astronauts were waiting for the astronauts to return from their mission, while the families of the Challenger had just said goodbye less than two minutes before. Tyson said it can be difficult to watch.
"You feel the pain of the loved ones who were waiting at the Cape for the shuttle to arrive, and it never arrived," Tyson said. "The fact that it is shown in real time is more upsetting than it is when you learn about it after the fact."
There will be a great deal of pressure on NASA for their next mission to be a success, Tyson said. Safety, he said, and finding out what went wrong and fixing that problem are the highest priorities.
"I think that they are always striving for safety," Tyson said. "What people do not know is how much safety is in the system. I work closely enough with NASA to know that they put safety as the highest priority in all they do."