Comments on: Why people watch NASA spaceship takeoff

By: Auntiegrav

Auntiegrav — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 15:23:32 +0000

I’m with Bob and Bosque: first thing that comes to mind is NASCAR. I’m not criticizing, just making the comparison. Crashes are learning experiences. The bigger the crash, the more we learn that people like to see crashes….;-) It takes big government to make really big crashes.

By: Someone

Someone — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 18:28:57 +0000

YOU AGAIN?!

By: Meatshield

Meatshield — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 16:52:11 +0000

it’s a little funny… :[)

By: Keiya

Keiya — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:52:38 +0000

Yeah, it’s more nanny-state than fascist. *shrug*

Personally, I watch because it’s awesome. And I breath a sigh of relief every time a mission goes safely.

(I will admit that watching footage of unmanned launches going horribly wrong is fun though. Well. Test launches at least… it’s a little depressing when a launch that would have taken neat experiments up – or worse, supplies for the people aboard the ISS)

By: Keiya

Keiya — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:27:43 +0000

American? Try human.

By: Bosque

Bosque — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:53:27 +0000

Should’ve made it about NASCAR, too touchy man.

By: MidChaos

MidChaos — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 09:24:33 +0000

Yes, more so than teenagers who neurologically can’t empathize as well as adults. And that is a true fact bolstered by multiple studies. Troll.

By: MidChaos

MidChaos — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 09:22:30 +0000

Troll.

By: ghopher

ghopher — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:29:22 +0000

Are you really going to sit here and tell us that high school teachers are in-tune with their students?

No. Just no.

By: ghopher

ghopher — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:24:59 +0000

Shut up.

By: MidChaos

MidChaos — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 10:09:14 +0000

So telling me to shut up is different how? Hypocritical much? I’m sure some episodes of Jackass await your viewing pleasure, so why don’t you jump into those, or perhaps even the Faces of Death collection might suit you since you appear to be lacking utterly in any emotional quotient. You wouldn’t be a teenager by chance, would you? Shut up, indeed. Just be glad that I am not a fascist and that you enjoy the anonymity of the Internet, you libelous little mouth-breathing troll. There. Feel full now? Then hie thee back under the bridge.

By: WorldsTallestMidget

WorldsTallestMidget — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 07:47:59 +0000

Oh shut up. So because it’s of some slight distaste means no one should be allowed to see it? Reminds me of all those soccer moms who want ANYTHING that might not be for children to be banned. Pretty fascist attitude, if I may say so…and I am.

By: WorldsTallestMidget

WorldsTallestMidget — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 07:46:08 +0000

I think it is pretty close.

By: WorldsTallestMidget

WorldsTallestMidget — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 07:45:18 +0000

I disagree. I think if you broadcast a car that was going to explode with no one in it, while simultaneously showing a car that was going to also explode with PEOPLE in it on another channel, the “car with people” channel would absolutely destroy the other in ratings.
Humans enjoy watching carnage.
It’s the way we are and always have been.
Deal with it.

By: WorldsTallestMidget

WorldsTallestMidget — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 07:41:55 +0000

We are all not here simply to make you chuckle. Occasionally, there is a graph or pic that makes people nod in agreement or shake their head in dissent. Deal with it.

By: WorldsTallestMidget

WorldsTallestMidget — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 07:40:21 +0000

One could also argue that telling a person that you think is insensitive and heartless to “go shoot them self (grammar?)” is just as insensitive and, therefore, hypocritical.
FAIL

By: MidChaos

MidChaos — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 11:39:44 +0000

I loved learning about the space program when I was in school, and we were all excited to watch the Challenger launch that last time and were horrified about it when it went wrong. Kids I see and hear from today tend to also still be interested.

Furthermore, the guy interacting with the kids in his own class would indeed be the person qualified to make the judgment call as to whether they are interested in what they are learning about. You’re representing the “fail” here, bubba.

By: Randomness

Randomness — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:12:56 +0000

I find them interesting as well… the fact that we can produce enough force to propel an object out of the Earth’s gravitational field, with people in it as well, is astounding… but I guess that’s why I’m more interested in physics than in watching football or something.

And has it ever occurred to you that maybe… you’re one of the only ones that doesn’t find them interesting? Rockets are cool, period.

By: Bob

Bob — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 22:30:22 +0000

I think this applies more to NASCAR then NASA shuttle launches.

By: Chally

Chally — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:21:13 +0000

shuttle launches and space operations are among the most incredible accomplishments of the human race… those who yawn and find them boring don’t have a clue… not a clue

By: Nader

Nader — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:16:21 +0000

Hehehe .. LoL .. Cool .. I love It

By: Blut

Blut — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:41:17 +0000

has it ever occurred to you that maybe…your the only one that finds them interesting?

to say that students find shuttle launches interesting, because you are showing it to them, is a logic fail, LOL

By: SvenPek

SvenPek — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:07:34 +0000

*plays the smallest violin in the world*

By: RJ

RJ — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:02:19 +0000

I think the point made by many people here is that they are not boring unless you know nothing about what is going on. I use NASA and other events to open my class. It is interesting.

And to compare the watching of a shuttle launch to the 9-11 events is ludicrous. It was an event where something bad happened that shook us all, not an event where we hoped something bad would happen.

Logic fail.

By: Lauren T.

Lauren T. — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:05:23 +0000

I was in kindergarten when the Challenger blew up, and the whole (small) school gathered in the library to watch the launch. I had nightmares for weeks about Christa McAuliffe’s dead body falling into my backyard from space.

Same for me and 9/11 — we watched the second plane crash live, and it was horrific. “Both moments are burned into my memory”, indeed.

By: quix0te

quix0te — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:33:51 +0000

I live in FL, and we love night launches. It has nothing to do with explosions. Having seen the Challenger explosion, I never want to see another.

By: wow

wow — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:13:50 +0000

I didn’t know kindergarteners were watching the Columbia come down from orbit in classrooms across America. I was in the 1st grade when the Challenger blew up. The whole school was watching. We’d spent weeks learning about how things worked and what was supposed to happen. As a first grader, I knew that those people were dead or dying the moment it started to blow. Its different when you hear of something happening and when you watch it happen. Unfortunately, I had the same experience during 9/11. I turned on the news just in time to see the second plane crash live on air. I don’t need to see that ever again. Both moments are burned into my memory.

By: that guy

that guy — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:00:01 +0000

you mean like Space Shuttle Colombia?

By: that guy

that guy — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:49:42 +0000

People, calm down, this graph isn’t glorifying shuttle explosions or saying that anyone is actually HOPING it blows up. It’s trying to tell us that we as people are curious to watch and be there in case tragedy occurs – and history is made. It doesn’t mean we are death-mongers, it’s human nature.

It’s kind of like when they flew the plane into the North Tower of the WTC. We all hoped it was just an accident, but continued watching the news to make sure. Sure enough, they flew another one into the South Tower. Doesn’t mean anyone thought it was funny.

The creator is trying to make light of the fact that shuttle launches are BORING, but people watch anyway.

By: Winston

Winston — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 09:47:19 +0000

Ha, well I’m one of those foreign types, and I watch some american launches…

Ok, if you replace “spaceship” with “Ares 1X” in the title, would it be more accurate & less insensitive? Though I’d say my reasons for watching that were less 94% 5% 1% and more like 48% 48% 4%.

By: pokemon

pokemon — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 08:41:56 +0000

i agree, who ever thought this was funny needs to take a look at them self. and who made made it, should just go shoot them self. heartless.

By: MidChaos

MidChaos — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 07:14:58 +0000

This graph should come down. This is not funny at all. There is a difference between comedy that pushes the envelope with uncomfortable truth – like the NASCAR thing, perhaps, though even that is a bit too much – and someone just being an ass. And this is worse than someone even just being an ass; it is incredibly disrespectful to those who have died in our space program. Wish this jerk had one iota of the brains those heroes have had, not to mention the will to do what’s right and necessary. This is bad bad bad. If this is what now passes for humor around here, along with lots of lame things that are not even worthy of comment, I think we need to start looking elsewhere for entertainment.

By: really?

really? — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 02:32:56 +0000

definitely because it’s awesome, you apathetic ass.

By: mark

mark — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 01:35:45 +0000

You’re thinking of NASCAR, idiot. Some people think a rocket launch is the climax of being an american.

By: Tourist on this planet

Tourist on this planet — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 23:37:52 +0000

You are 100% correct.

By: Tourist on this planet

Tourist on this planet — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 23:35:52 +0000

You must be very lonely.

By: ALLCAPS

ALLCAPS — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:26:15 +0000

i truly think this is a piss-poor graph. Not true at all.

By: meetooo

meetooo — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:19:03 +0000

I worked for a company with a satellite (no pun intended) location not far from the launch site, and happened to be there that day. We shut down the company and went up on the roof to see it. There was not one dry eye on the roof after the explosion – even the tough guys in shipping were in tears. We realized we just saw people lose their lives. Not funny – never will be.

By: Florian Anon

Florian Anon — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:17:15 +0000

Well, I think it’s funny.

By: bacon

bacon — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:13:14 +0000

For once people are actually voting down a bad graph.

By: Mark, Sr.

Mark, Sr. — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 21:27:43 +0000

I’ll never forget the day that Challenger blew up.
I worked at a cable TV company, so we had TVs everywhere. I walked into our lobby that morning, and one of my co-workers was crying in front of the TV. One of the astronauts was a friend of hers.
As a fan of the space program, it has always had an effect on me, however, the effect that I saw on her that day has never left me . . .

By: jacobyjd

jacobyjd — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 21:21:37 +0000

Yeah, I’m pretty sure someone mixed this one up with the ‘Reasons Why People Watch NASCAR’ graph.

Last time I checked, ‘because rockets are awesome’ takes up 99% of the correct chart, with 1% at ‘nothing else is on’

By: Aegis Runestone

Aegis Runestone — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 21:03:46 +0000

I agree… how? This is not funny at all.

By: Jimmylou

Jimmylou — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:48:47 +0000

For sure, exploding vehicles are only cool, if nobody is inside.

By: wow

wow — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:43:55 +0000

wow. Apparently those who weren’t around to watch the Challenger blow up need to know the horror first hand? It took 24 years for me to watch another launch and I cried when I did.

By: Koolboy

Koolboy — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:42:31 +0000

hes right atleast i watch it for that

By: NP

NP — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:34:09 +0000

how did this make the main page?

By: mamarosa

mamarosa — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:26:13 +0000

sensitivity FAIL

By: AL

AL — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:07:52 +0000

I’m FIRST to say explosions are cool