Colombia Tragedy
An editorial
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Seven human beings-five men and two women- died in the effort to live their lives as they chose, serve science, do something useful, advance space flight and explore the unknown. When the Colombia broke up on re-entry, on February 1, the reading and viewing world stopped for a moment in shock. These seven lives of the crew of STS-107 deserve to be honored, mourned and remembered.
Their families deserve our caring understanding of their loss. We mourn for their loss and the tragedy surrounding their death.We offer the meager comfort of shared sorrow. We honor their memory. Life will continue in time. It always does. Let these "space sailors" become a page in the history of space flight, telling us that dreams do come true, and life is so very precious. Let us all be reminded that life and dreams always come with risks.Let these astronauts serve as guides and reminders of what people can achieve in their lives, rather than their deaths. Live your dreams as these people lived their dreams. The risks are many, yet so are the gains.
God Bless these individuals, their families and friends: (NASA biography links provided)
Commander Rick Husband , married two children, Texas, age 45
Pilot William McCool , married, three children, Texas, age 41
Payload Commander Michael Anderson , married, New York & Washington, age 43
Mission specialist Kalpana Chawla , emigrant from India, age 41
Mission specialist David Brown , single, Virginia, age 46
Mission specialist Laurel Clark married, one child, Wisconsin, age 41
Mission specialist Ilan Ramon , married, 4 children, Israel, age 48
Short Profile details available from MSNBC.
Further details may be gained from the NASA Biography section, on current, past and future astronauts. Their history, experience and education are well worth the exploration http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/