10/04/2008

Astronaut's diary survives fall to Earth

First here is an excerpt:

"Pages from an Israeli astronaut's diary that survived the explosion of the space shuttle Columbia and a 37-mile fall to earth are going on display this weekend for the first time in Jerusalem. The diary belonged to Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut"

"A little over two months after the shuttle explosion, NASA searchers found 37 pages from Ramon's diary, wet and crumpled, in a field just outside the U.S. town of Palestine, Texas. The diary survived extreme heat in the explosion, extreme atmospheric cold, and then "was attacked by microorganisms and insects" in the field where it fell, said museum curator Yigal Zalmona."

Two Comments:
(1) Don't you think it is interesting that the Israeli astronaut's diary was found in Palestine, TX?
(2) If this diary survived, then why don't they use the same material to protect the space shuttle next time and maybe it will survive better!