I was listening to WGN this morning. Kathy and Judy, the wacky female duo who command the morning airtime were discussing what protocol NASA should have for astronauts who discover they won’t be making a safe return.
\nThat’s a really tough subject. Suppose you have risked all to be among the select few who have gone into space, and Mission Control tells you that you might not make it back. You have three doors to choose from. The option behind the first door is to ride a flaming shuttle to your death. The second door is that same ride, but miraculously, you make it back safe and sound. The third door holds a pill that allows you to take your own life before you suffer.
\nWhat a choice to have to make! How many of us have the fortitude to tough out a death like that? I believe I’d want to hang on to the last moment, trying to do everything I could, to save the mission (and my life!). I don’t believe that in less trying situations I’d opt for suicide, but if NASA had supplied me with a tablet that would make my death quick and painless…..could I hold out, in the face of what was to come?
\nAnother issue they discussed was whether NASA should suggest to the astronauts that they need to have a final communication with their loved ones. If the situation is bleak, and the chance of getting home is slim, should they be up front about it? I followed Apollo 13’s trials when I was younger, and I’ve seen the movie about it dozens of times. There was never any suggestion made public that those men talked with their families. Do you suppose that NASA felt that admitting the gravity of the situation might lessen the efforts of the men to get back? If you loose hope, do you quit trying?
\nI’d be a wreck having what might be my last conversation with my family, but I’d want it. Think about the men and women on 9-11 who called their loved ones from the Trade Centers or from the planes, to say goodbye. I don’t think that conversation would keep me from making every effort to make it back. It might make me redouble my efforts.
\nSo…….would you take the easy way out, or ride the shuttle down? Would you talk to your spouse or not? Should NASA let the astronauts decide for themselves what the protocol should be? Talk to me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I was listening to WGN this morning. Kathy and Judy, the wacky female duo who command the morning airtime were discussing what protocol NASA should have for astronauts who discover they won’t be making a safe return. That’s a really … Continue reading