Australian spiders perish

The Sidney Morning Herald, Sydney, Australia ^ | February 2 2003 | Sidney Morning Herald

[FreedomCalls]

Australia's eight "spidernauts" are among the casualties of the space shuttle disaster.

Students and scientists involved in the project were eagerly waiting to see if the Australian Golden Orb Weaver spiders have been able to spin webs in space.

They had spent 16 days in the space shuttle Columbia as part of a project to see if webs built at zero gravity are different to those created on the ground.

Low resolution video images of the spiders suggest they have successfully built webs.

If this had proved correct, scientists would have attempted to mimic the spider silk in aerospace structures and space stations.

The spiders were bred at Melbourne Zoo in a four-year joint project by NASA and students from Glen Waverley Secondary College and RMIT University.

The spider were due to be retired to the Melbourne Zoo's new World of Bugs and Butterflies display once their mission was complete.

[FreedomCalls]

This is the most tasteless headline from the liberal foreign press so far. This one is from the Sydney Morning Herald. They just can't comprehend the depth of feeling this event has aroused in Americans I guess.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[T Minus Four]

Let me try to muster up one particle of give-a-sh** about spiders right now..........................................................Hmmm, nope, sorry.

Now let me try to feel the slightest breath of feeling for Australia right now............................................................................................

[arielb]

Let us all mourn for the pets killed in the Bali nightclub blast

[crazykatz]

Well, I don't think it is that tasteless...those children were very interested in those experiments and those spiders were God's creatures too.

Yes, they were lower than the humans...but, God's small creatures, none the less.

I think many people, the world over, are grieving. And many of them were happy and proud to have experiments on board the shuttle. This makes the loss more personal for them.

[swarthyguy]

relax, It's only news item about an Australian experiment.

Just one story.

No different that American media's myopia i.e.

707 Crashes in Columbia; One American Dead.

[JudyB1938]

Of course, the human tragedy of the shuttle is overpowering us right now. But there is no guilt associated with also grieving over the loss of scientific information the shuttle was to have given scientists all over the world.

[July 4th]

Those in Texas had best pray that the spiders did not survive the fall. They've got some mean suckers down under.

[gcruse]

If you hadn't said it, I would have.

[ellery]

Take it easy, folks -- the paper did an entire section on the disaster, with the main headline, "SPACE SHUTTLE TRAGEDY
Seven astronauts die in re-entry disaster."

This was just one side story out of many:
Lift-off glitch may be vital clue
Australian astronomer's 'extraordinary account' of mishap
Australian spiders perish
The final transmission: ... we did not copy your last
Mission background: A laboratory in space
Timeline: Disasters in space exploration
Fact file: The shuttle fleet
The NASA statement: Space shuttle contingency declared
President Bush's statement: The cause in which they died will continue
World reaction: Leaders express their grief
Photo Gallery: Space Shuttle Columbia and her crew
Amateur video of the shuttle accident
President Bush on the disaster
NASA spokesman comments

[L`enn]

I agree with you. Children in Syracuse had an ant farm experiment on board, which meant that they and people not interested normally in this event tuned in. These kids spent 4 years on the project. For them to be shaken by the result of their work being destroyed in no way minimizes the entire tragedy. It actually accentuates it by making the entire event "personal"

[L`enn]

There are no shortage of things to grieve over from the events of today.

[Rodney King]

The death of any and all spiders is a good thing. I hate them with all my being, and there should be a government program to eradicate them from the earth.

[CAPPSMADNESS]

"The death of any and all spiders is a good thing. I hate them with all my being, and there should be a government program to eradicate them from the earth."

AGREED!!!!

[Black Powder]

The death of any and all spiders is a good thing. I hate them with all my being, and there should be a government program to eradicate them from the earth.

Hope you prefer the torment of flies and mosquitoes.

[JudyB1938]

I hear ya, man.

[JudyB1938]

It is interesting that you have not been back to this thread, after having posted it yourself. Could it be the mocker does not himself like to be mocked (disagreed with)?

[Rodney King]

Hope you prefer the torment of flies and mosquitoes

1. I think that the goodness of spiders is vastly over-rated.

2. I think we should kill all the mosquitos and most other bugs as well.

3. Even if we didn't, yes, I would prefer the torment of mosquitos. It's very easy to just put some bug spray on, and at least the damn things don't come into my house.

[JudyB1938]

If you killed most of the bugs, you'd also kill the birds and the bats. I couldn't care less about bats, but I'd sure miss Tweety.

[crazykatz]

LOL