“The images of the shuttle breaking apart on TV instantaneously brought me back to when I saw the Challenger explode back when I was a kid,” explained Andy Zaides, a student at Quinnipiac University. As news spread across the Quinnipiac community of the space shuttle disaster, students began to speak out and express their feelings. Like Sarah Sztuk, a freshman communications major, many students “give…sympathies to all of the crew’s family and friends.” To prevent a future catastrophic event from happening, Sztuk believes that “in the future…space crews should not be forced to go up on old shuttles. We should have more [and] newer ones being made instead of using ones from fifteen years ago.”

“This accident only highlights the need for our government to invest more in space exploration. The diversity of the crew members is reflective of the United States’ ability to bridge divides to achieve common goals; a skill that we need now more than ever in terms of international diplomacy,” explained Tom Hyde, a Quinnipiac student.

Jon Kroll believes that “we should [continue] exploring space because of environmental concerns. Money should be taken from the military to use in [the] exploration of outer space in hopes of finding renewable energy sources.”

Glenn Giangrande, a Quinnipiac senior realizes that “Casualties are a possibility in any high-risk industry or area of exploration. While the circumstances and deaths are absolutely tragic, the space program will survive the Columbia disaster just like it survived Challenger’s explosion 18 years ago.”

Everybody spoken with at Quinnipiac University shares the words of Jamie Sherry that “the tragedy that happened in space is truly horrible. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those seven astronauts.”