I can remember being a child, seeing the destruction of the Challenger.
I remember the fireball exploding over Cape Canaveral, killing all on board, including the first teacher destined for space.
I remember seeing President Reagan speak before the nation. I remember being devastated, even so young.
To this day, I remember Jan. 28, 1986.
Now I must remember Feb. 1, 2003 in the same way. We've lost six Americans and one Israeli. I have so many questions, none of which I have answers for. As I write this, speculation abounds about what the causes are, and why the space shuttle Columbia exploded. I do not know - I will not try to tell you.
I can tell you something about the astronauts. They had more courage than most of us will ever know. Their bravery and commitment are what makes humanity great. They are the role models we should all follow.
Commander Rick Husband tried for the astronaut program three times and was rejected each time. He did not give up, and was selected on his fourth application in 1994. He knew as a child he wanted to go to space.
Pilot William McCool was a father to three sons, two of which could be our classmates. He spent 13 years flying test planes for the Navy before becoming an astronaut. He never lost his sense of wonder, remarking last week that "It's beyond imagination," when referring to his journey.
Michael Anderson was one of the few black astronauts in the program. He knew the risks. He is quoted as saying: "I take the risk because I think what we're doing is really important." He had been in space once before to the MIR space station.
Kalpana Chawla is perhaps one of the most courageous on this flight. She emigrated from India in 1982 wanting to design aircraft. She went to work with NASA in 1994. On her first space flight in 1997, she made major errors that sent astronauts into space after a wayward satellite. She overcame what could have been crippling embarrassment and continued on her course.
David Brown died on his first space flight. He had joined NASA in 1996 and flown test aircraft before joining. He too recognized the risk of space travel, acknowledging that he had made risk part of his life when he chose to fly test planes; he said space flight was just "an extension of that."
Dr. Laurel Clark was on board Columbia to assist with experiments. She had been a medical officer in the armed services before joining NASA. She too recognized the danger saying: "There's a lot of different things that we do during life that could potentially harm us and I choose not to stop doing those things."
Ilan Ramon, a colonel in the Israeli Air Force, was the first Israeli in space. His mother and grandmother had survived the camps at Auschwitz. He was selected in 1997 to be the first astronaut from his nation.
They died in the service to humanity. Not one nation or another. Not to one religion or ideology. They died doing what they believed in.
Write to Russell at rlg@temporalfront.com
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