Moviegoers reaffirm support for space program

Monday, Feb. 3, 2003 | 11:02 a.m.

The dangers of manned space travel became horrifyingly real Saturday morning. But many of those watching an IMAX movie about space exploration came away saying the risks are worth it.

"I have a lot more respect for what they're doing there," said Ron Beatty, a press operator visiting Las Vegas from Clear Lake, Calif. Beatty and his friend Kathy Vaughan, also from Clear Lake, watched the IMAX movie on the International Space Station that plays several times a day at the Luxor.

"They're trying to move us forward, to help us progress," he said. "They're up there for a reason."

Beatty said he felt himself tearing up a few times because of the shuttle tragedy a day earlier.

"People are giving their lives so we can have a better place to live."

Others coming out of the movie echoed those themes. Most said they are aware of the debate over whether to send people or robots into space. But they agreed that human beings need to be there.

John Ackelson, a retired information manager for a Denver-area school district, said he is aware of the debate because he is an amateur astronomer, a field in which the discussion has sometimes been the sharpest.

He said deep space, at least for now, is the province of robotic probes. Man has gone to the moon, but no farther. But that may change.

"Nothing can take the place of a human brain," Ackelson said. "In the end, we have to make that trip."

People need to continue pushing the bounds of space, he said. The discoveries provided by space exploration already improve our lives on earth; more research will continue the process, he said.

"We are a part of a large universe. There is a lot that we simply do not understand. It is in our nature to explore it."

The astronauts, he said, are heroes.

"They know what they're up against," he said. "These men and women know it's not guaranteed that they are going to come back."

Kimberlee Ackelson, owner of a preschool-to-kindergarten child care center, said she was touched by the international character of the astronauts featured in the film -- and among the crew of the Columbia.

"What really touched me the most was the unity, the one purpose: to better mankind," she said. "That's something that robotics can't replace."

She said manned space exploration is likely to continue.

"The human spirit goes on and on and on," she said. "The human spirit is never satisfied."

Jim Bloom, a marketing representative from Atlanta, said he went to the IMAX movie not because of the tragedy, but because he's always been fascinated by space exploration. Bloom said he hopes robots do not take the place of people in space.

"I think (manned space flight) is necessary, and I think it's great," he said. "I'm glad to see Americans lead the charge.

"We lost seven human beings (Saturday), not just space guys. But the astronauts are too valuable to replace with robots."

His wife, Lacey Bloom, is a philosophy student in Atlanta. She said she understands the ethical dilemma.

"It's artificial intelligence versus real intelligence," Bloom said. "Is it worth it, not just the billions of dollars but in terms of human life?

"There are huge risks to this. But I'll tell you this -- I would go in a heartbeat."