For me, the Astronaut dream never really died. It's gotten pushed aside on long occasions, but if I ever really sit down and think, if I could have any job... working in near-zero-g is where I would be.

Challenger freaked everyone out, because we'd been invincible in space. The Soviets were the ones who had lost people, but never NASA. I remember the precise moment and location that I was sitting when I heard about it. Mrs. Morgan's Communications IV class, 6th grade, in the left most row, 4 seats from the front.

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Columbia has come at a bad time. We're in the midst of an economy that everyone knows is bad but the government is lying about, a war on terror that's more akin to shadow boxing and accomplishing goals that have nothing to do with Freedom or justice, while the law enforcement is grabbing more and more power to track down criminals and terrorists, but without realizing the amount of freedom they are taking away without any over sight.

NASA's public profile has been one of the few things that looked shiny and pretty from the outside, and gave us the hint of looking at something beyond military dominance and big brotherism.

The set back that Columbia represents is excruciating for a country that's breaking up and diving into the ground by leaders we don't trust.

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