Norman Levitt scornfully dismisses as "sentimental crap" the romance of
manned space travel centered on "glamour-boy pilots."

But doesn't this ignore the emotional motivation not only for space
exploration but for all great scientific endeavors? Doesn't the heroism
of astronauts appeal to something deep in our human nature that makes us
willing to invest resources in space projects? And don't we need to
elicit such emotions to sustain scientific research generally? (Would
Mr. Levitt dismiss the media coverage of Nobel Prizes as "sentimental
crap"?)

In contrast to the Challenger disaster, this shuttle disaster could
stir more political support for NASA and for new initiatives such as
striving for a moon settlement. Would Mr. Levitt would dismiss this as
"sentimental crap"?

Larry Arnhart

Department of Political Science
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115