I'm not that confident that the American people will continue to be galvanized to new effort in the event of yet another Shuttle catastrophe. There's a point at which the effort stops looking like a heroic struggle against adversity, and starts to look like banging our heads against a wall for no compelling reason.

Part of the problem, I think, is reflected in our discussions about a reason for exploring space, most particularly human space flight. The public won't see the issue in the nuanced way we space cadets see it. They'll see it in starkly simple terms, as the tradeoff between lives and....what? Velcro? Perfectly-round ball bearings? If we can't come up with a better reason than spinoffs and science, the public will not see a compelling reason to risk lives in space.

The risk has political dimensions on top of engineering dimesions, and it's the political risk that concerns me. If I didn't fear the consequences of another failure, I could swallow my concern about the risk of launching the Shuttle. I understand why the risk is necessary, and I have nothing but admiration for the astronauts who place their lives on the line for The Dream. I'd continue to soldier on if we lost another Shuttle, but I have serious doubts that the majority of the American people share my resolve.

It's out of our hands now, Raoul. The Shuttle will probably launch Saturday (60% chance of a weather scrub), or if not Saturday, some day soon after. All we can do is watch and pray that nothing goes wrong.

Godspeed, Discovery!