Have read so much about the shuttle tragedy. This article in particular was very moving. A mix of early stage star wars and space odyssey. Made me realise that humans are small after all. Intergalactic travel, time warps, transcivilization expeditions are so easy to imagine. Star Wars 2 ATOC had innumerable ships and armies doodling in space, personal space stations hauled behind personal spaceships for a weekend in the hyperion quandrant... beautiful isnt it? And today, to put 1 bottle of water in space on an unmanned flight, takes a million dollars. I always thought that science would make enough progress during my lifetime but looks like I may not be around when all the good stuff happens! Yes, I may not be around.