# Columbia Tragedy **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 1, 2003, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbia-tragedy/152133 "2003-02-01T18:10:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbia-tragedy/152133/41 "2003-02-02T05:44:41Z")
Beside being worth the thrill, it might help move the human race forward. I’m in. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Doctor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbia-tragedy/152133/42 "2003-02-02T05:46:39Z")
I’m in as well!! ---
**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbia-tragedy/152133/43 "2003-02-02T07:10:07Z")
Just tell me where to report. Oh, and hopefully I’ll be able to make shuttle to ground phone calls every day or two so I can update my boss on when I’ll be well enough to come back to work… 🙂 Eric ---
**Author:** ![Tony\_Montana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@Tony\_Montana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tony_Montana)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbia-tragedy/152133/44 "2003-02-02T08:03:47Z")
hmmm, once in a lifetime experience that only a handful of the human race get to do. I’m in… ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Mahma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@Joe\_Mahma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Mahma)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbia-tragedy/152133/45 "2003-02-02T11:52:16Z")
I’d be willing to go, although bringing myself up to the physical fitness level of an astronaut might take some time. (I wonder if they gave John Glenn a break on that?) ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbia-tragedy/152133/46 "2003-02-02T12:32:47Z")
Just how fit do you _really_ have to be to be an astronaut? It’s not like you have to run a traithalon daily… the two big stressors are the ride up and space walking, with working in vacuum apparently the more difficult of the two as far as sustained physical effort goes. Alright, I’ll pass on the spacewalk, just get me up there already! Barring cardiac/blood pressure problems, or some weird bone-fracturing disease, I’d say the average human could ride the shuttle. Most of the guys going up are in their 40’s, they aren’t 20 year old Olympic athletes. I doubt they needed to give Mr. Glenn a break - he’s an extraordinarially fit senior citizen. He’s always taken excellent care of himself. You betcha I’d go up. ---
**Author:** ![miatachris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@miatachris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miatachris)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbia-tragedy/152133/47 "2003-02-02T13:37:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zebra \* > \*\*Do you think that in the future some kids will be able to look at ‘retired’ shuttles? \*\* [History of _Enterprise_, currently on display](http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/enterprise.html) ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbia-tragedy/152133/48 "2003-02-02T14:06:48Z")
Hell, I’ve been ready to go since I was four. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbia-tragedy/152133/49 "2003-02-02T14:17:34Z")
[How to be an astronaut](http://www.nasa.gov/about/career/) from NASA’s site. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbia-tragedy/152133/50 "2003-02-02T14:36:07Z")
The number of all manned orbital flights since Gagarin is now somewhere around 240 or so, I think. Does anyone know how many of the first 240 airplane flights killed everyone aboard? Does anyone know how many of the first 240 transatlantic boat trips ended in disaster? I don’t want to minimize yesterday’s tradegy, only to put it in a relevant perspective. ---
**Author:** ![Lapin\_de\_poussiere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a4c791/32.png) [@Lapin\_de\_poussiere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lapin_de_poussiere)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbia-tragedy/152133/51 "2003-02-02T14:43:38Z")
> [@](#): > > Columbia itself could never go to ISS. It’s too heavy to make it worthwhile to get it up to that orbit. Not only too heavy, but it didn’t have the necessary docking equipment to hook up with the station. [cite](http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/02/01/shuttle.columbia.history/index.html) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/columbia-tragedy/152133.md?page=2)