Tragedy not deterring students from dreams

With the Columbia space shuttle tragedy weighing heavy on the nation's conscience, Penn students interested in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration still maintain their fascination with the space program. In fact, many students' curiosity about NASA seems to have grown since Saturday. "I think I've become more interested if anything," said Lindsey Karpowich, an Engineering junior majoring in material science. In light of Saturday's events, many Penn students and professors said they were surprised and saddened by the deaths of the seven astronauts on the Columbia. "It was an eye-opening experience," said Karpowich, who expressed her interest in NASA projects. And even those students who have professed no interest in NASA projects were among those who believed the space program is worth continuing despite its dangers. "If I were interested in NASA, I still would be," said Avinash Budhian, a second-year chemical engineering graduate student. Other students felt this event did not affect their interest in NASA in any particular way. "It is a very rare occasion," said Jay Patel, an Engineering junior in the Digital Media Design Program. Many students said they were shocked by the Columbia's disintegration. Having grown up with only a vague memory of the Challenger's destruction, many people likely took for granted safety issues involved with space travel -- until now. "What is on the shuttle now is second-generation," Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics Professor Ira Cohen said. The shuttle was designed in the 1970s after the moon landing. Then, engineers thought this model would make space travel cheaper, and since innovations are expensive, NASA decided to maintain the model without further updates. Many Penn students declared that they were worried about safety issues -- this concern was sparked mostly by the conditions of the shuttles currently employed. "I do think that [the space program] needs to be shut down for a while to make it more efficient and safe," Engineering senior Rachael Palmer said. "Fatigue should be taken into consideration," Karpowich said. "It is an interesting question as to what went wrong." The Penn community is now waiting for the results of the investigation to determine beyond any doubt the reasons for such a disaster. NASA "will conduct a full investigation of the tragic accident, and look into every possible cause," Cohen said. In the meantime, students continue their studies, hoping one day to contribute in a meaningful way to the space program. "That's what I'm studying for," Karpowich said. "To solve problems like that."