REMEMBERING CHALLENGER

Today's anniversary of the tragic Challenger shuttle mission is a reminder of how often the combined resources of science and technology fail their human masters. Few Americans will forget the vision of those white contrails billowing in an azure sky following the liftoff and subsequent blast.

While considerable finger-pointing is still going on a decade later, NASA and the dozens of later shuttle crew members and their support teams can point with pride to more than 60 successful flights that have advanced efforts in space. The Challenger tragedy will always will be remembered, but it should be in the context of lessons learned and later missions that were successful as a result.