Columbia crew remembered
Bush leads ceremony in Houston
By Tom, Kenworthy, USA TODAY
HOUSTON — In death, they came alive.
Relatives of the deceased astronauts comfort one another prior to the start of the memorial service.
By Jason Reed, Reuters
A generation after Americans lost the habit of knowing who their space heroes really are, the Columbia astronauts were remembered Tuesday as awe-struck youngsters who yearned to "reach the stars," and as fun-loving but dedicated adults who never lost their sense of adventure.
President Bush and first lady Laura Bush attended the 45-minute memorial ceremony at the Johnson Space Center that brought both tears and occasional smiles to the faces of grieving spouses, parents and children.
The president and the chief of the astronaut corps helped bring the adventurous lives of the seven Challenger astronauts who died Saturday into focus for NASA employees and the nation.
Navy Capt. Kent Rominger, the astronaut corps chief, remembered the crew as a "generous and caring bunch with a great sense of humor."
He recalled Israeli Ilan Ramon in a Santa Claus hat and repeating a favorite saying: "Life is not a rehearsal."
He remembered payload commander Michael Anderson as a quiet person unless asked about "his family or his Porsche." He brought laughs by describing pilot William McCool as "unusually punctual for an astronaut."
And he quoted mission specialist Kalpana Chawla, an avid aviator, saying: "Man, you are training to fly in space, what more could you want?"
Bush also eulogized each astronaut with telling vignettes. He spoke on a brisk, clear day as thousands of space program workers stood around a tree-lined pond. The televised ceremony was also broadcast for workers at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The president, wearing a shuttle lapel pin, recalled commander Rick Husband's favorite hymn and his abiding religious faith.
He told how mission specialist David Brown had assured his minister that the "mission would go on" even if disaster struck.
Bush repeated a friend's description of mission specialist Laurel Clark talking from space to mission control: "There was a smile in her voice."
"Their mission was almost complete, and we lost them so close to home," Bush said. "Their loss was sudden and terrible. And for their families, the grief is heavy. Our nation shares in your sorrow and your pride. And today we remember not only one moment of tragedy but seven lives of great purpose and achievement."
Bush declared that the United States would continue its manned space program: "This cause of exploration and discovery is not an option we choose. It is a desire written in the human heart."
The roar of NASA T-38 training jets that flew a "missing man" formation still echoed in the distance, as space agency workers leaving the ceremony said they had found comfort in the service.
"It was very special," said Warren England, a Boeing contract employee who has worked on both the space shuttle and space station programs. "It is something I will remember forever."
"I'll miss them," said NASA worker Jere Bryant, who knew astronauts Brown and Clark personally. "David, the smile. Laurel and her dimples. And her curly hair. We both had curly hair."
Family members of the crew filled the front row of seats with the president and first lady.
Parents held their children's hands and cradled their heads. Brown's daughter held a white teddy bear. One of the Israeli astronaut's four sons comforted his grandfather.
Bush was accompanied to Houston on Air Force One with former senator John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, and Neil Armstrong, the first man to land on the moon. The president arrived at the ceremony walking hand-in-hand with the first lady. They left walking arm in arm. Laura Bush appeared to brush back a tear during the service.
Afterward, they met privately for nearly 40 minutes with about 40 family members.
A White House aide said Bush spoke to each person. He made small talk with the children about school and offered his condolences for meeting at such a tragic time.
"The president made people smile. He made them laugh," the aide said.
He told one widow, "You're a strong soul." He said to one father who lost a child, "We're so proud of you as a father. God bless you, sir."
Kathie Scobee Fulgham, whose father Dick Scobee died in the Challenger explosion in 1986, also reached out to comfort this disaster's children. She wrote to the Columbia astronauts' children to offer guidance for the days ahead.
"Yours is a small voice in a crashing storm of questions. And no answers will bring you comfort," she wrote. "You're not alone. We want you to know that it will be bad — very bad — for a little while, but it will get better." |
