Bush Honors Memory of Columbia Astronauts at Houston Ceremony
(Says America's space program will continue) (1330)
America's space program will continue, President Bush said in remarks
February 4 at a memorial ceremony at the NASA Space Center in Houston,
Texas for the seven astronauts -- two women and five men -- killed
February 1 when the Columbia space shuttle split apart as it was
re-entering earth's atmosphere.
Bush quoted from David Brown, one of the seven, who told his brother
prior to the flight, that if something went wrong on the mission the
space exploration program would not stop.
"David was right, America's space program will go on," the President
said. "This cause of exploration and discovery is not an option we
choose; it is a desire written in the human heart. We are that part of
creation which seeks to understand all creation. We find the best
among us, send them forth into unmapped darkness and pray they will
return. They go in peace for all mankind, and all mankind is in their
debt."
The final days of the astronauts' lives, Bush said, "were spent
looking down upon this Earth. And now, on every continent, in every
land they could see, the names of these astronauts are known and
remembered."
The seven astronauts included Kalpana Chawla, who was born in India
but became a U.S. citizen, and Israel's Ilan Ramon.
Attending the memorial ceremony was First Lady Laura Bush, relatives
of the seven astronauts, former U.S. astronauts, workers in the U.S.
space program, as well as government officials and members of the U.S.
Congress.
Following is the transcript of President Bush's remarks:
(begin transcript)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
February 4, 2003
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT THE MEMORIAL SERVICE IN HONOR OF
THE STS-107 CREW, SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
Houston, Texas
12:35 P.M. CST
THE PRESIDENT: Their mission was almost complete, and we lost them so
close to home. The men and women of the Columbia had journeyed more
than 6 million miles and were minutes away from arrival and reunion.
The loss was sudden and terrible, and for their families, the grief is
heavy. Our nation shares in your sorrow and in your pride. And today
we remember not only one moment of tragedy, but seven lives of great
purpose and achievement.
To leave behind Earth and air and gravity is an ancient dream of
humanity. For these seven, it was a dream fulfilled. Each of these
astronauts had the daring and discipline required of their calling.
Each of them knew that great endeavors are inseparable from great
risks. And each of them accepted those risks willingly, even joyfully,
in the cause of discovery.
Rick Husband was a boy of four when he first thought of being an
astronaut. As a man, and having become an astronaut, he found it was
even more important to love his family and serve his Lord. One of
Rick's favorite hymns was, "How Great Thou Art," which offers these
words of praise: "I see the stars. I hear the mighty thunder. Thy
power throughout the universe displayed."
David Brown was first drawn to the stars as a little boy with a
telescope in his back yard. He admired astronauts, but, as he said, "I
thought they were movie stars. I thought I was kind of a normal kid."
David grew up to be a physician, an aviator who could land on the deck
of a carrier in the middle of the night, and a shuttle astronaut.
His brother asked him several weeks ago what would happen if something
went wrong on their mission. David replied, "This program will go on."
Michael Anderson always wanted to fly planes, and rose to the rank of
Lt. Colonel in the Air Force. Along the way, he became a role model --
especially for his two daughters and for the many children he spoke to
in schools. He said to them, "Whatever you want to be in life, you're
training for it now." He also told his minister, "If this thing
doesn't come out right, don't worry about me, I'm just going on
higher."
Laurel Salton Clark was a physician and a flight surgeon who loved
adventure, loved her work, loved her husband and her son. A friend who
heard Laurel speaking to Mission Control said, "There was a smile in
her voice."
Laurel conducted some of the experiments as Columbia orbited the
Earth, and described seeing new life emerge from a tiny cocoon.
"Life," she said, "continues in a lot of places, and life is a magical
thing."
None of our astronauts traveled a longer path to space than Kalpana
Chawla. She left India as a student, but she would see the nation of
her birth, all of it, from hundreds of miles above. When the sad news
reached her home town, an administrator at her high school recalled,
"She always said she wanted to reach the stars. She went there, and
beyond." Kalpana's native country mourns her today, and so does her
adopted land.
Ilan Ramon also flew above his home, the land of Israel. He said, "The
quiet that envelopes space makes the beauty even more powerful. And I
only hope that the quiet can one day spread to my country." Ilan was a
patriot; the devoted son of a holocaust survivor, served his country
in two wars. "Ilan," said his wife, Rona, "left us at his peak moment,
in his favorite place, with people he loved."
The Columbia's pilot was Commander Willie McCool, whom friends knew as
the most steady and dependable of men. In Lubbock today they're
thinking back to the Eagle Scout who became a distinguished Naval
officer and a fearless test pilot. One friend remembers Willie this
way: "He was blessed, and we were blessed to know him."
Our whole nation was blessed to have such men and women serving in our
space program. Their loss is deeply felt, especially in this place,
where so many of you called them friends. The people of NASA are being
tested once again. In your grief, you are responding as your friends
would have wished -- with focus, professionalism, and unbroken faith
in the mission of this agency.
Captain Brown was correct: America's space program will go on.
This cause of exploration and discovery is not an option we choose; it
is a desire written in the human heart. We are that part of creation
which seeks to understand all creation. We find the best among us,
send them forth into unmapped darkness, and pray they will return.
They go in peace for all mankind, and all mankind is in their debt.
Yet, some explorers do not return. And the loss settles unfairly on a
few. The families here today shared in the courage of those they
loved. But now they must face life and grief without them. The sorrow
is lonely; but you are not alone. In time, you will find comfort and
the grace to see you through. And in God's own time, we can pray that
the day of your reunion will come.
And to the children who miss your Mom or Dad so much today, you need
to know, they love you, and that love will always be with you. They
were proud of you. And you can be proud of them for the rest of your
life.
The final days of their own lives were spent looking down upon this
Earth. And now, on every continent, in every land they could see, the
names of these astronauts are known and remembered. They will always
have an honored place in the memory of this country. And today I offer
the respect and gratitude of the people of the United States.
May God bless you all.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
