The Columbia Tragedy
THE "COLUMBIA" TRAGEDY
Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, it has been said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. In the same way, a journey of a million miles must be completed with one final step.
It was at the moment of that ultimate step on February 1, 2003, that the Space Shuttle Columbia could go no further. In its last moments, America's first shuttle took with it the brave souls of its crew. It is those seven heroes and human beings I honor today, on behalf of every Oregonian who mourns them.
In recent years, the names of shuttle astronauts have seldom been known by most Americans. Now, the names of the Columbia Seven have entered the nation's consciousness through the floodgates of our shared grief: Flight Commander Rick Husband; Pilot William "Willie" McCool; Payload Commander Michael Anderson; Mission Specialist Kalpana "K.C." Chawla; Mission Specialist David Brown; Mission Specialist Laurel Clark; and Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon.
As the recent chair of the Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Space, I came to know firsthand that America's astronaut corps, and indeed the teams of engineers and experts that support them, are the best this country has to offer. It seems that this particular group of astronauts was the best of the best. And they were not only America's finest, they were India's finest and Israel's finest as well.
Many of this crew were devoted husbands, wives, fathers and mothers. They leave a dozen children behind them who deserve this nation's sympathy and gratitude for the sacrifice their parents' final mission required.
But the Columbia crew also leaves behind their ideals of persistence and patriotism, the humility and humor that called so many people to love them so much, and above all their love of learning and life. Each brought a different background and unique experience to this mission. All defeated great odds and exhibited enormous courage in becoming the astronauts they hoped to be.
From childhood, Rick Husband, Willie McCool and David Brown cherished dreams of liftoff and landing, of spaceships and spirits aloft.
Laurel Clark dove to the depths of the sea in her naval career before reaching the heights of heaven on Columbia.
Michael Anderson was able to break even the barrier of sound, even the barrier of Earth's atmosphere as one of the nation's few African American astronauts.
Kalpana Chawla's mother reportedly had hoped for a son 41 years ago in India. She now says with pride that this daughter did better than any boy could, coming to America less than 20 years ago and twice being chosen as her adopted nation's envoy to space.
Ilan Ramon had led his nation into battle many times. On this expedition, he envisioned Israel at peace. Looking down from the windows of Columbia, he imagined that the quiet and calm of the heavens would someday find his country men and women on Earth.
As President Bush said on Saturday, Columbia is lost. But the optimism of Ilan Ramon and the visions Columbia's crew embodied never need pass away.
Oliver Wendell Holmes once said this: "Through our great good fortune, in our youth our hearts were touched with fire. It was given to us to learn at the outset that life is a profound and passionate thing." Today I say that it was the great good fortune of every American, of every citizen of the world, that these seven hearts were touched in youth with firethat it became their profound passion to reach into the skies and grasp the knowledge that lies beyond our planet.
Even as our hearts grieve, there is reason to rejoice. The United States of America and the nations of the world are still called to farther frontiers by these seven, so deserving of our respect