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Riding RocketsThe seat I was strapped to would survive twice the number of Gs my body could withstand. The windows (eachtriple -paned) and the walls around me would remain intact until the Earth crushed them. I was strapped into a fortress that would keep me alive long enough to watch DeathБЂ™s approach. If fire was to kill me, I would have time to watch the flames. If a multimile fall was to kill me, I would watch the Earth rushing into my face. Even a cockpit decompression would no longer mercifully grant us unconsciousness, as it might have spared theChallenger crew. We now wore full-pressure suits that would keep us alive and conscious through any cockpit rupture. As I stared at the countdown clock, still frozen at T-31 seconds, my prayers covered a spectrum of needs.Please, God, let the TAL weather clear so we can launchБЂ¦Please, God, let us have a safe flightБЂ¦Please, God, donБЂ™t let me screw upБЂ¦Please, God, if IБЂ™m to die, let me die fighting, joking, helping the CDR and PLT with a checklist, reaching for a switch ...» |
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