...and I suppose that militarization was inevitable, since the first sizable working rockets were used as weapons. In fact, I probably should have said the "incomplete demilitarization" of the space program.

Aloha,
Mark

I suppose there is some relief to hear that the loss of heat-shielding tiles on liftoff was probably not the cause of the destruction of the shuttle. At least we don't have to imagine that the crew went through the entire mission thinking that they were likely not to come back.