Shuttle Final Destination

Actually, the lift system, included the non-reusable fuel tank...and hence why the space shuttle is considered partially reusable.

 

For anyone who's even remotely interested in the US space program, I highly recommend "When We Left Earth - The NASA Missions" four disc Blu-Ray set [ame="http://www.amazon.com/When-We-Left-Earth-Missions/dp/B001BEK86A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335372488&sr=8-1"]Amazon.com: When We Left Earth - The NASA Missions [Blu-ray]: When We Left Earth, na: Movies & TV[/ame]

Some of the footage will literally send chills down your spine because of it's historic significance. It starts at the Mercury project then moves to Gemini, Apollo, Skylab and finally on the the Shuttle and International Space Station.
You get to see some true American heroes here...

 

Brave, courageous, inspirational but astronauts are not heroic, a term that gets devalued from misuse.

 

Heroic - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary

2 a: exhibiting or marked by courage and daring
b: supremely noble or self-sacrificing

I believe that early Mercury astronauts, as well as astronauts who flew after Challanger and Columbia, where heroic and showed great courage.

 

Any person that willingly straps themselves into an aircraft with over 7 million pounds of combined thrust, knowing that once you turn it on you can't turn it off, definitely exhibits the above qualities.

Or they are just crazy.

 

The two conditions aren't mutually exclusive.

They come as package deal more often than hero worshipers care to admit.

 

Brave in taking a risk but not heroic which is reserved for knowingly risking one's life to save another.

 

How about anyone that straps themselves to high speed vehicles and then gets on the road with many others zooming close to head on, some of which are not paying attention and some of which have partially incapacitated themselves with drugs or other conditions. I wish I were a hero in this situation, but I'm just another driver trying to make the day so nobody has to be a hero. Or am I just crazy.

 

Well now...Prius drivers might get some hero worship, we are oil warriors sacrificing ourselves for kin and country, sacrificing, if not our lives, our money to drive a Prius. Money does buy life in our market economy, so maybe sacrificing our lives if we spend the kidney transplant money on the Prius.

 

If you think Prius drivers are worthy of hero worship, surely astronauts: some who have sacrificed their lives for science and pride of country, should deserve the word hero. Every service member who sacrifices their life is considered a hero for serving their country: whether they were directly trying to help someone, stepped on a mine, or accidently killed by friendly fire.

 

Hero worship is a bit over the top. But Prius drivers are making a sacrifice to save others which is definition of heroic.

Military is a good example in that they reserve hero status for actions above and beyond the call of duty, soldiers who sacrifice themselves for others. Every soldier who goes to the oil wars in the Middle East does not get a Silver Star Award for just showing up.

 

But surely those who die are making a sacrifice to country. I would think most people would include more soldiers then just the ones who receive a Silver Star as a "hero". I have heard many vets say that all their fallen comrades were heros, for example.

 

Soldier = killed or wounded in the line of duty.
Heroic soldier = jumping in front of bullet meant for one of your buddies.

 

= Heroic Soldier.