[Hallicrafters] Columbia, To Touch The Face Of God

[Duane Fischer, W8DBF]

Today is February 1, 2004. It marks the first anniversary of the death of the
seven incredibly brave, totally dedicated and ultimately human, astronauts
aboard the space shuttle Columbia. They reached for the stars, they touched the
stars and due to the break up of the space shuttle during reentry, became a part
of those stars that twinkle while the Earth wears its nightly cloak of darkness.
    		
	
We as Americans, and fellow humans regardless of race or country of residence,
all need to remember them on this historic and indescribably painful day in the
history of man's attempts to reach out his frail and feeble hand to touch the
face of God. To go where no man has gone before. To slip the surly bonds of
earth and soar into uncharted places where constellations live and galaxies
swirl. To look into the black velvet depths of the night sky as our moon casts
an eerie beckoning light coaxing us to go to that planet of red or those Jovian
moons or to meet the rings of Saturn. Then maybe to one day stand on mars and
gaze at our nearest neighbor, Alpha Centura, a mere 4.3 light years away, a mere
footstep on a cosmic scale, and wonder if someone there is looking back at us
wondering if that third planet from that class M star has water on it. To ask
the biggest question, knowing our brain can not begin to comprehend the answers,
should they be revealed to us. Yet we ask, because we must. Is there intelligent
life out there, anywhere? If so, are they like us? Even though we as yet do not
know for certain there is, something inside us tells us that there is and that
we are	
not  alone in this infinite cosmic greatness.   			
	
So was the mission of Columbia and those that went before her and shall go after
her. 

Space travel is a highly risky business with countless unknowns and sometimes
success after success lulls us into a hypnotic state of false security. The
technology evolved and involved in the efforts of NASA over the past four
decades has benefited mankind in more ways than most of us can even imagine.
Unbelievable electronics, life saving medicine beyond our doctors wildest dreams
a mere decade ago and numerous home, transportation and personal safety devices
we all depend on daily. But there is always a price to be paid for a gain.
Unfortunately, and all too often, it is the ultimate price. The life of someone
we love, respect or idolize.     	
	
When the unthinkable happens, as did with Columbia, Challenger and Apollo we
must not, we dare not, abandon the dreams our compatriots gave up their lives
for. We must bear the pain, endure the hurt and continue to reach for those
stars despite tears in our eyes, with undying love for our friends who are now
among those stars and continue to stretch out our curious hand in the hope that
one day we too will touch the face of God and understand what they now know. It
is our insatiable curiosity that causes us to push against the boundaries of the
unknown and it will be this quest of knowledge that enables us to survive in
spite of our own best efforts to eradicate ourselves.     			
	
Let us not ask 'why?', but why not? 	
	
Duane Fischer, W8DBF