I hope that this tragedy doesn't discourage us as a nation...

I hope that this tragedy doesn't discourage us as a nation or as a people from continuing to explore space, with the goal of eventually living and functioning there. Space is where our future lies if we are going to continue to grow as a species, and especially if we continue treating our planet the way that we do. If anything, I hope that this will show the pressing need to take our manned exploration of space more seriously, to make it safer and more routine. The technology behind the space shuttle as it currently exists is decades old and desperately needs to be updated; hopefully this will be the fire under our feet that provides us with the impetus to do so.