Tuesday, February 4, 2003
Students say space program must go forward
By CINDI BROWNFIELD
NEWS-JOURNAL EDUCATION WRITER
DAYTONA BEACH — Graduate student Jeremy Eckhart was in kindergarten when the space shuttle Challenger exploded – and he´s been reaching for the stars ever since.
The aspiring astronaut from Toledo, Ohio, has skipped classes at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to watch launches, and he can name every astronaut on every mission in the history of the space program.
Saturday´s loss of the space shuttle Columbia just deepened Eckhart´s commitment to space exploration and his dream career.
“I don´t think it changes anything,” said Eckhart, 23, who´s working on a master´s degree in space science. “Risking lives is the choice of the individuals involved.”
At local colleges and schools throughout Volusia and Flagler counties, teachers and counselors talked with students Monday about the explosion of Columbia and provided outlets for their reactions – from keeping journals to drawing pictures to writing letters to the astronauts´ families.
“We want to help the children feel safe... and we want to address any fears or questions they may have,” said Linda Armour, guidance specialist for Volusia schools.
At Seabreeze High´s Academy of Aviation and Aerospace Technology, much of the discussion focused Monday on possible causes for the shuttle explosion and the future of the nation´s space program. “Actually, their biggest concern was the three astronauts still up there (in the international space station),” said teacher Larry Woodward.
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The 72 students in the academy all have an interest in aviation or aerospace careers. Woodward asked them Monday if the weekend´s events had changed their minds and “not a single hand went up,” he said.
The roots of the space program run especially deep at Embry-Riddle. Seven former students are astronauts, including two who have flown shuttle missions. Students also conduct research aboard NASA´s KC-135 Vomit Comet, an airplane that simulates microgravity, or to serve as interns for the space agency.
The university has 150 men and women in its undergraduate, space-oriented engineering physics program – the largest accredited program of its kind in the nation, said Dean of Arts and Sciences Buz Piercey, who´s done space research for more than 20 years. Another 13 students are enrolled in the brand-new space science graduate program.
ERAU students – most of them children when the Challenger blew up – spent Monday reflecting on the Columbia accident, and worrying about the nation´s commitment to future space exploration.
“I couldn´t believe it. I was so shocked,” said Leslie Novak, 24, a space science grad student from Ohio who plans to become a professor or engineer. “To have something go wrong at the last minute, it was heartbreaking.”
Still, Novak said, the space program must go on because of its contributions to advancements in technology, science and medicine.
Piercey, wearing a tiny space shuttle pin made by his 17-year-old daughter, Naomi, who was born the day before the Challenger tragedy, said after a time of mourning, America will have to pick up the pieces and renew its commitment to space science.
“I hope our politicians will show half the courage our astronauts did to make sure the exploration of space will be a part of the future of our country,” he said.
Education writer Linda Trimble contributed to this report.
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