I was watching the Price Is Right on our local CBS station when the network broke in with the story about Challenger. I called my dad at work who had the sad task of informing his co-workers of the tragedy. My mom and I sat there watching the story unfold on TV, hoping against all odds there would be survivors from the fireball in the sky.

I still have the faded newspaper from that day, and vividly remember the feeling of shock I experienced as the reality of what had happened set in. It was the first shared “national tragedy” I remember being personally struck by. That same sick-to-the-pit-your-stomach feeling was unfortunately repeated in 1995 with the bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building, the 2001 terrorist attacks, and the loss of Columbia in 2003.

Space exploration is full of risk and difficulty; there’s no other truth to it. I am proud to watch the growing International Space Station pass silently overhead in the evening sky. I’m elated viewing the breathtaking photos returned by probes on Mars and in orbit of Saturn. I hope we’ll never have another shared national tragedy related to the exploration of space, but that may be naive. I hope we’ll always remember the cost of exploration is worth the reward.

I think most people do “support” NASA, but since their mission these days is unclear, it’s difficult for people to remember what it is they are supporting.