We do not appreciate the emotional stress these astronauts are subjected to, like being in a submarine at war, not knowing if you will blow up at any second or free-fall spinning wildly to earth, especially in programs that don't really have the resources to support them safely.

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I appreciate that this is NOT a scientist-only site, but is open to the general public, and offers a real and perhaps needed interface between the two. This seems to be the goal of the hosts, and subscribers should approach it with that in mind. If this causes too many professional tensions, then perhaps there should be stricter control or criteria over the comments.

As for why the misfire causes the problem. Please think. You have an object in free fall. anything that imparts even a tiny rotational movement will have an effect. The capsule is not standing on any surface, it is as though it were hovering above the surface, so any tiny input of energy will displace its movement. A single bolt, not firing exactly in sequence will no doubt cause the capsule to rotate. Perhaps not by much, but surely enough to cause the entire entry profile to change.

A little like the same effect when you put your hand out of the car window as you travel along. On the road, the car continues as before, but if you are in an aircraft, the hand will cause the aircraft to change direction. Like adding a new rudder. That is what is causing the underlying problem with re-entry.

It is easy when one's circle talks about a story to think that 'everyone' is. The fact is that other than those of us, like you, who have an interest in space related stories, very few people even heard about TMA-11. That is hardly worldwide captivation. Ask random people where they were when Challenger blew up, and they will be able to tell you. Ask them about TMA-11, and count the blank stares.

As for the research behind your stories, I do not doubt that you do a thorough job. That is one of the things I like about your site, the quality of the reporting. I found the story about TMA-11 to be very interesting and your write up was well done. I only question that first sentence. I hope I don't sound like a nitpicker, because people who write in and point out some minor error, which you correct quickly, are annoying.

As for politics, sure discussions about the NASA budget or ESA policy or Parlimentary debate about India's space program, for example, are all great topics. UT is a great escape from all the rest. It is the non-space related politics that has creeped in on ocassion. It is just disappointing to see here. No one, and I assure you no one, understands the importance of politics and world affair more than I . Many may share my appreciation, but that stuff is air and water to me of neccessity. That makes your great site all the more important to me personally. For a few minutes a day, it is just about stars and planets and such.

As for NASA's budget, there is no fairy dust to be had. Pity. Two thousand years from now, people will not remember who won the elction of 2008 in the USA, or Joe the Plumber (who got a back handed mention on UT). They will remember Apollo 11.

Ian, you have a fantastic site here, an escape of sorts. I am not complaining. Hyperbole hurts the teller, not the listener. I don't want to see people to begin to abandon your site. No, one line in one story won't do it, but rivers start with trickles.

Keep up the good work. See you every day on the Web. If you make it to the East Coast, I can arrange for cold beers to be present.

See – you guys knock the space plasma dude, and now here's a story that falls right in his bailiwick. Whatever happened to the other guy and the almighty space mirrors?

I have had this argument over and over, "Keep politics out of space exploration." This ranged all the way from ESA science to the presidential candidate's policy on the future of NASA. A few people (and it is a very few, vocal people) are of the opinion that I choose to talk about politics for the sake of it. Alas, it is a necessity.

For a better understanding of what I mean, have a look at http://www.universetoday.com/2008/12/12/what-about-the-space-exploration-crisis-nasa-budget-could-be-cut-to-save-money/ – Should I really stay away from the politics? Don't you want to know about what drives NASA? NASA isn't run on fairydust, it is run on US tax dollars; each and every mission needs to be justified. Very quickly you'll see that every great advance in science has a huge political element.

As for the hyperbole… well, it depends on your perspective. On writing about the Soyuz hard landing, I was doing a lot of research into who was reporting accurately, and it would seem that a huge number of others were doing the same. Keyword queries for "Soyuz hard landing" spiked on the day of the landing, motivating Fraser and myself to follow the developing story (hence why the articles kept coming for days after), people wanted to know the facts and the Universe Today quickly became the hub for people to get up-to-date news. It was busy! There was a flood of traffic and we reacted. The Soyuz hard landing was my busiest time as a writer, second only to the "Phoenix discovers potential for life on Mars, White House notified" craziness…

So, why don't you think people were captivated by the story again?

We don't publish these articles lightly, all UT posts are researched thoroughly, not only for science content but also for interest. I'd love to write endlessly about the Sun (as it's my "thing") but, generally, there aren't many people interested in regular updates on a featureless Sun, so I have to diversify as a writer.

Imagine that, a solar physicist writing about politics…. turns out that it can be done…

Cheers, Ian

Is it not just a little scary that pyrobolts are accidentally not firing on re-entry, so then perhaps could accidentally fire when docked at the space station?

"Back in April, the world was captivated by what happened to the crew of Soyuz TMA-11."

I have to disagree with this sentence. I doubt that the world even took note, much less was captivated. John Glenn's heat shield problems, Apollo 13, and the Challenger explosion all captivated the world. Not even the Columbia re-entry disaster accomplished that. Try walking out onto the street and ask ten random people about TMA-11. And before anyone wants to snark about dumb Americans, do the same in Australia, South Aftrica, Bangledesh, Bolivia, or Finland. I suspect that your blank stare rate will be in the 90% range.

You have a great website here that I read daily. Please work on keeping politics and hyperbole out of it. The science and exploration you and your fellow writers post on your site are a welcome respite from daily life and politics. The wonders of the universe and our exploration of it need no 'poetic enhancement'. Keep up the good work and thank you for this quality website.