OT: Shuttle Breaks Up During Re-Entry

[minipol]

I also saw it in the news. Even in Belgium almost the whole news was dedicated to this catastrophy.
I was amazed by some of the comments: Apparently NASA people are NOT worried if debris slams into the shuttle. It happens all the time they say. Huh? When are they worried???

I believe that space exploration might one day save this planet. Think about the asteroids that might (and will!) come our way. How are you going to defend against that when you are not knowing what you are dealing with? That's one of the reasons why space exploration is necessary.

Other comments on TV said this might delay the program by some 2 years. Off course this is pure speculation but that wouldn't be very positieve.

Also, imagine what an explosion this must have been when people on the ground could hear it. It's just unbelievable. *sigh*