I'm not religious, but I feel they died doing something they really wanted to do and that in a sense they were doing it for all of us - in spite of being fully aware of the risks. For that alone, they should be remembered ...

Yes, Cap, I, too, believe they risked, and ultimately gave, their lives for the betterment of humanity.

And I concur with your analyses. One other theory they've bantered about is the possibility of computer error during re-entry.

I heard a former astronaut say yesterday, to put it into perspective, that it works out to 1 in 57 shuttles that have gone down, and that, if those same odds were applicable to commercial aircraft, a lot more people would be driving or boating.