In the wake of the fatal crash of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, which killed one pilot and resulted in serious injuries for another, some people have continued to voice their support for space exploration.
As Mashable deputy editor Chris Taylor wrote on Friday, the world must realize that those who fly into space today and for the foreseeable future are not tourists, but pioneers who will encounter the unknown. Pioneers must understand that they are risk takers, and it seems that many people who watched the tragedy unfold are now acknowledging that reality.
Several online commenters said frontiers are not advanced without loss, but that those losses are not in vain. We've rounded up some of their reactions, below:
@nycjim I'm sure the same was said of Aviation back in the early days. Yes...it's worth it. Exploration is never without risk.— James K. Durden (@jkdurden) November 1, 2014
@nycjim The same happened with the airplane. Unfortunately, this is part of the process.— Bruno Gil (@brunogil) November 1, 2014
Sending my support to @richardbranson & @virgingalactic - the world needs great explorers & those who dare to dream.— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) November 1, 2014
@nycjim @FutureBoy Yes! Let the people be free and live their lives and take risks as they choose.— Hernan Coronel (@hernanc123) November 1, 2014
@nycjim @FutureBoy Humans explore. Humans test limits. It's what we do. Expecting us to reign that in is unrealistic. Venture forth we go.— Barraford (@barraford) November 1, 2014
These pilots knew the risks they were taking, but they took them for the sake of advancing space flight and exploration. I salute them.— Alexandra Wuori (@JakALope044) November 1, 2014
Perhaps we should have stopped the Wright Brothers from flying. Time Magazine headline: "Enough With Amateur-Hour Space Flight" Seriously?— Marc Boucher (@MarcKBoucher) November 1, 2014
Peter Diamandis, founder of the X Prize foundation, which started a competition for privately financed teams to build and fly a three-person ship into space, also tweeted about the tragedy and the need to push forward with space travel.
I would like to share my deepest personal thoughts on today’s Virgin Galactic Accident. This is deeply meaningful to me, my family & friends— Peter Diamandis (@PeterDiamandis) November 1, 2014
Most importantly, my heart goes out to those who lost loved ones, & many at VC, Scaled, Virgin Grp &Mojave who this accident deeply affects— Peter Diamandis (@PeterDiamandis) November 1, 2014
I urge all of us to keep something in mind. We are on the verge of opening the space frontier, one of the greatest endeavors of our species.— Peter Diamandis (@PeterDiamandis) November 1, 2014
Americans forget that 500 yrs ago thousands of European gave their lives to open the Americas& 200 yrs ago, we risked lives to open the west— Peter Diamandis (@PeterDiamandis) November 1, 2014
This is what exploring is all about. We risk our lives for what we believe in. This is the American way, the explorer’s way.— Peter Diamandis (@PeterDiamandis) November 1, 2014
I for one, am proud to be a Virgin Galactic client. I believe in the company, and know, without a doubt, that they will succeed.— Peter Diamandis (@PeterDiamandis) November 1, 2014
I fully trust Virgin Galactic with my safety when my turn to fly on SpaceShipTwo materializes.— Peter Diamandis (@PeterDiamandis) November 1, 2014
Multiple federal agencies are investigating what caused SpaceShipTwo to crash in California's Mojave Desert.