Letters

Disaster in the Sky

The passion of the seven Columbia astronauts showed us the greatness of the human spirit and the fragility of life. RALPH SPARGUR Bountiful, Utah

Nancy Gibbs' report "Seven Astronauts, One Fate," poignantly captured the spirit of adventure of those brave travelers who lost their lives on the space shuttle Columbia doing what they loved best [COVER STORIES, Feb. 10]. May their sacrifice serve as a reminder that this country was pioneered by many brave explorers who had a zeal for looking beyond the horizon and the courage to probe the unknown. STEVE BUTLER Wakefield, Mass.

There will always be those who dare to take great risks. Rather than mourn their loss, we should value their contributions. Let's learn from our mistakes and move on. They would want us to. JESSE BROWN Purcellville, Va.

The astronauts who perished represent the best that humankind has to offer, yet few of us knew their names before this disaster. Why didn't we stop for a moment before the Columbia's launch to celebrate this brave and diverse group of space pioneers? Why couldn't we spare a moment of prime-time television to have our highest public officials introduce these role models to our youth? It was a lost opportunity. Only after their deaths do we celebrate their lives. FRED POLITINSKY Wayne, N.J.

The Columbia astronauts, regardless of their country of origin, represented the essence of the American spirit at its best: the desire to know reality and use the principles of scientific, rational endeavor to master it. The Columbia tragedy reminds us just how important these values are. MICHAEL J. HURD Chevy Chase, Md.

Debating the Shuttle's Future

Gregg Easterbrook's critique of NASA, "The Space Shuttle Must Be Stopped," challenges us to come up with a new and improved game plan that takes into account today's financial and technological realities [VIEWPOINT, Feb. 10]. The manned space-flight program is a costly publicity stunt and a shameless boondoggle at a time when the U.S. government is struggling to cope with urgent public needs. Many will insist on sympathetic but unthinking cheerleading for the space program, but we have to come up with a leaner, fitter and more successful plan. JUSTIN WHITTINGTON Washington

To call shuttle travel impractical because of its cost and risk to life misses the point. Certainly, manned space flight is impractical. It was dangerous to first venture out at night. It was risky to climb the first mountain. It seemed impossible to sail across the ocean. We do these things not for practicality but for dreams. JEFF HEWITT Norfolk, Va.

It is time to re-evaluate the manned space program. What should be a source of dreams and inspiration has become an unacceptably risky venture that claims the lives of our best, brightest and bravest. If manned space flight cannot be done right, it should not be done at all. The cost in human tragedy, national grief and billions of dollars is simply too high for marginally valuable science experiments. Let the debate begin, but in the meantime, let's not risk any more brave and gifted lives on an outdated venture. Our astronauts deserve better. BILL WHEELER Enfield, Conn.

Of course we need to venture into space. But the great past explorations--the voyages by Phoenicians and Polynesians, the walk west by Lewis and Clark, the pioneering flights of the Wright brothers--were made by people because such achievements required human beings and human intelligence. But today space exploration can be done much better and more cheaply without using human pilots. We need not risk any more shuttle crews. MICHAEL WAGGONER Boulder, Colo.

It doesn't make sense to stop the shuttle program. People don't quit traveling in airplanes, automobiles and trains when accidents occur. We learn from experience and make improvements. KAREN ANDERSON Sussex, Wis.

--Despite the enormous dangers of space travel, many readers let us know that they remain ready to buy their tickets. "I would be the first to volunteer for the next shuttle flight," wrote a Virginian. "To stop the shuttle now would send the wrong message at the wrong time." A Nigerian agreed, saying, "What happened to the astronauts will always dwell in my mind, but I have dreamed of going into space. I would cherish the opportunity." Declared a North Carolinian: "I would go up tomorrow if I had the chance. To risk your life, or even to lose it, in the pursuit of something meaningful is better than to live a long, safe life of mediocrity."

Of Israel and Iraq

In his column "How Israel Is Wrapped Up in Iraq," Joe Klein said the goal of a "stronger Israel is very much embedded in the rationale for war with Iraq" [IN THE ARENA, Feb. 10]. The future of the U.S. has never been so bound to the success or failure of a foreign country as it is to Israel today. And I don't like it. Klein should write an article titled "How America Is Wrapped Up in Israel," because we don't seem to be able to do anything anywhere without its somehow being connected to Israel. CHRISTINE SELLITTO New York City

Klein was right on target. The Bush Administration's hawks and Israeli hard-liners are not heeding the warnings about a need for linkage between a Palestinian solution and the war on Iraq. This connection is badly needed to show consistency in the pursuit of justice in the Middle East and could help unify coalitions against Saddam Hussein and his like. It could create opportunity and a future for the Palestinian people. ARTHUR SHANE Rochester Hills, Mich.

While Klein's vision of a Middle East peace plan calls for Israel to abandon most of the settlements and the Palestinians to give up the right of return, a just peace must also involve recognition by Israel that, contrary to its argument that Palestinian civilians left voluntarily, Israel forcibly expelled them from their homes in 1948. Israel must also give the Palestinians some form of compensation. MAHA MUNAYYER Little Falls, N.J.

Good Films Have No Gender

So there has been yet another "Year Of The Woman" in Hollywood films [MOVIES, Feb. 10]. This phenomenon seems to occur every three to five years, when a film with female characters becomes a hit even though it does not star Julia Roberts. Could it simply be that there were some exceptionally good movies that just happened to star women? Although Hollywood churns out bad but profitable films on a regular basis, American moviegoers will also spend their money on a decent product. It does not change cinema as we know it. DAVID BACLASKI North Ferrisburg, Vt.