In recent years Congress has cut funding for the space program (in particular funding for shuttle maintenance) and NASA has turned to the Pentagon for financing of many of its missions. NASA’s O’Keefe said upon taking the helm of the space agency that all future missions will be dual use – with the military now in control of the space program.

Loring Wirbel, a technical editor and Global Network board member based in Colorado, stressed that “the shuttle accident occurring on re-entry, which is always been touted as much safer than launch, should serve as proof that NASA's planned nuclear propulsion program is far too dangerous to be considered.”
Also, “the hazards involved in aggressive space use also suggest that broader military use of space for first strike warfare or weapons in space is a dangerous game,” said Wirbel.

Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space:
http://www.space4peace.org

Please also see:
"All humankind affected by loss of US space shuttle, Annan says":
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=6046&Cr=outer&Cr1=space

"Determination, political will can revitalize stalled disarmament forum – Annan"
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=5929&Cr=disarmament&Cr1=

For more analysis of the tragedy, please see articles in the Sunday Herald:
http://www.sundayherald.com/np/shuttledisaster.shtml

and the BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2719251.stm