Crew are real stars

WE SHOULD never forget how we actually get men and women into space.

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Essentially, we stick them on the top of a giant bomb and let it go off in a controlled explosion. Kind of risky.

So as NASA's Artemis II moon rocket goes through its final checks and rehearsals before launch next month, we ought to reflect that lives have been lost in the past, either on the launch pad or shortly after liftoff.

Probably the most memorable disaster was almost exactly 40 years ago, when Space Shuttle Challenger exploded in midair barely a minute after leaving the ground.

The reason was devastatingly straightforward: one of the most basic components - a simple seal - failed, and hot gas from a booster leaked into the main fuel tank. Challenger disintegrated and its seven crew perished.