Dear Armstrongs, As a young laddie I was regarded as a bit of a nut as we used to say. Why? because I read those crazy tales of men travelling into space that's why. Well, we lived to see it come true, and no doubt all the mockers would be saying how they knew all along that it was likely! (#}:0)) It came many years, indeed decades, before I really expected it. As a boy it seemed that if I lived to be a very old man it might just come about before I died. In the event I was a relatively young man when it happened that 'Our Niel' stepped on the Moon. All told there have been 24 dramatic deaths which, although they cause eternal grief to the families concerned, bring glory to the nation and the people who devised and carried out the whole space programme. It seems an awful thing to say but when you consider the enormity of what has been achieved this appears to be a modest price to pay. Look at the history of flight, look at the history of the motor car. All have their martyrs and victims, they still do. In this region on New Year's Eve a crazy unstoppable car thief with 92 convictions mowed down a family killing the six year old daughter and severely injuring her younger sister. This; 130 years after the motor was invented! It puts the tragedy of yesterday into perspective. Even bearing in mind all those men who died in the experiments with aircraft leading to the development of spacecraft it is still a model of caution in the making of Man's greatest adventure. On March 27th 2001 Rita and I went with Gerri and Fount Armstrong to the hangar where the shuttles are serviced, led by Dennis Armstrong of N.A.S.A. Here a quote from my journal for that day; "We went into hangar 2 the one where Columbia is being readied. What a thrill to stand under that huge wing, only feet overhead. A woman was doing something just inside the door at the nosecone. Others did jobs on other parts. We are not allowed to touch it but the thought came to me I was standing in the front of a vehicle that has many times been in space. We were all overawed by the occasion." That wonder has not diminished, it is indeed a high adventure. The Columbia crew are dead, but, The Dream Is Alive! Joe Armstrong

Some of the remarks Joe in the paper from the family members are, their Loved ones got to fulfill their dreams of making it to space. With that in mind and looking for the positives in the situation. I think we have to be pleased for them and it is something for their families to hold on to. Would have been great to have been that close to the spacecraft. We were in Florida in 1989, but didn't have a clue how much time was needed to see all the sites and didn't get to see that area unfortunately. Australia had an interest in the Columbia, as children from a school in victoria, had been doing a science project which involved sending spiders into space inside of the Columbia. Think it was an experiment to see how strong the spider webs were. I am sure there was more to it. It will be in the newspapers somewhere. They had been working on the project for 4 years. So a huge disappointment for them and I suppose those children will be affected emotionally by the Spacecraft exploding with all those lives lost. Edie ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joe Armstrong" <gateshead8@gateshead8.free-online.co.uk> To: <ARMSTRONG-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, February 03, 2003 5:32 AM Subject: [ARMSTRONG-L] Space > Dear Armstrongs, > > As a young laddie I was regarded as a bit of a nut as we used to say. Why? > because I read those crazy tales of men travelling into space that's why. > > Well, we lived to see it come true, and no doubt all the mockers would be > saying how they knew all along that it was likely! (#}:0)) > > It came many years, indeed decades, before I really expected it. As a boy > it seemed that if I lived to be a very old man it might just come about > before I died. In the event I was a relatively young man when it happened > that 'Our Niel' stepped on the Moon. > > All told there have been 24 dramatic deaths which, although they cause > eternal grief to the families concerned, bring glory to the nation and the > people who devised and carried out the whole space programme. > > It seems an awful thing to say but when you consider the enormity of what > has been achieved this appears to be a modest price to pay. > > Look at the history of flight, look at the history of the motor car. All > have their martyrs and victims, they still do. > > In this region on New Year's Eve a crazy unstoppable car thief with 92 > convictions mowed down a family killing the six year old daughter and > severely injuring her younger sister. > > This; 130 years after the motor was invented! It puts the tragedy of > yesterday into perspective. > > Even bearing in mind all those men who died in the experiments with > aircraft leading to the development of spacecraft it is still a model of > caution in the making of Man's greatest adventure. > > On March 27th 2001 Rita and I went with Gerri and Fount Armstrong > to the hangar where the shuttles are serviced, led by Dennis Armstrong > of N.A.S.A. > > Here a quote from my journal for that day; > > "We went into hangar 2 the one where Columbia is being readied. > What a thrill to stand under that huge wing, only feet overhead. > A woman was doing something just inside the door at the nosecone. > Others did jobs on other parts. We are not allowed to touch it but the > thought came to me I was standing in the front of a vehicle that has > many times been in space. We were all overawed by the occasion." > > That wonder has not diminished, it is indeed a high adventure. > > The Columbia crew are dead, but, > > The Dream Is Alive! > > Joe Armstrong > > > > > > > >