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Education

Sugar Coating Reality

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
April 6, 2006

The Amazing Space Shuttle, NASA Kids Club

“There have been six Space Shuttles. The names are: Enterprise, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour. Three of them — Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour — are still working.”

Editor’s note: Its great that NASA has this kids website online – and more should be created. But NASA needs to be a little more honest with ts audience. I am not advocating scare tactics with regard to kids, but two of the Space Shuttles are not “working” because they were destroyed during their missions – killing all aboard. Perhaps a note to the kids about how risky space travel can be – and how this inspires NASA to try and make it safer – and that important things such as exploration can sometimes lead to loss of life. There’s news about Iraq on TV every night – and most kids cartoons feature a lot of violence – so its not as if they are isolated from the realities of life. But to ignore two fatal accidents is not how you honor sacrifice – or inform the next generation.

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.