[Pages S1847-S1864]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

TRIBUTE TO THE SPACE SHUTTLE ``COLUMBIA'' ASTRONAUTS

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I rise today with a heavy heart, which was
lifted with the inspiring and thoughtful words of our guest Chaplain. I
thank him for helping us see the greater design, the hope for the
future, and the good news that we have been given by the Lord.
As did millions of Americans, I spent Saturday watching the dreams of
seven brave astronauts streak back to Earth in sadness. The sadness we
still feel today, and we will feel for many days, is because those
seven astronauts carried our dreams with them.
That is the wonder and the magic of our space program. Our astronauts
go into space in large part for those of us who cannot go. Our hearts
and our spirits are their cargo. We soar and ride with them into a
realm that is beyond the grasp of most men but not beyond the grasp of
mankind.
Even while we engage in the somber work of recovering from this
terrible accident, in recovering the crew and the Columbia itself, our
thoughts have already returned to the work of ensuring the safety of
the U.S. manned space flight program and of the remaining shuttles.
That is one of the responsibilities entrusted to us with the funding
and oversight of the space agency.

[[Page S1848]]

Shuttle safety is not a new issue to those of us on the
Appropriations Committee--or the authorizing committee--which funds the
space agency and its operations. It is our job--my wonderful friend,
the Senator from Maryland, Ms. Mikulski, and me--to ensure we know and
understand each crucial element of the budget that safeguards the lives
of our brave astronauts.
Whether during my service as chairman or under the leadership of my
able colleague from Maryland, the direction of the VA-HUD and
Independent Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee has been consistent
throughout. Space shuttle safety is paramount.
I am proud the subcommittee I currently chair has consistently fully
funded NASA's request for manned space flight program safety.
Nevertheless, nothing about manned exploration of space is or will ever
be free of risk. Manned space flight is, by its very nature, life
threatening. Flying a space shuttle is nothing less than hurtling
across the heavens where a slightest mistake guarantees instantaneous
death.
No matter how successful we are, and no matter how many safe shuttle
launches we have under our belts, we can never forget the dangers
inherent in space travel. We can and should never be complacent.
We have an ironclad social and moral contract with our astronauts: In
return for their willingness to place themselves in jeopardy on behalf
of all mankind, we in return have an obligation to provide them with
all the resources required for a safe flight.
While it is our goal to eliminate risk, to be quite frank, we cannot.
We can only minimize risk. That is the cruel reality of manned space
flight. Some element of risk haunts every mission. And in the face of
such risks, we still have Americans and international partners
willing--yes, anxious--to go. They know the risks. Their families
understand they are in harm's way and still they dare to live a dream
that very few of us can fully appreciate. It is precisely that element
of human nature that inspires us to seek challenges greater than
ourselves.
To those who question the value of our space program, I ask them: How
can you quantify the dreams of millions of children here and across the
world? How can you quantify the spirit of discovery? What value should
we place on our quest to understand our place in the universe?
Those are the questions we must ask ourselves during this period of
recovery. The weeks and months ahead will be filled with questions. So
far, we have too few answers.
Our questions did not begin with Saturday's terrible loss of
Columbia. The subcommittee has had continuing concerns about whether
the budget requests from NASA accurately reflect the full safety needs
of the space agency and the shuttle program. It is reflected in our
reports. It is all in the public record. I know NASA has always placed
the safety of our astronauts as its highest priority, we have an
obligation to ensure that the analysis of safety, no matter what the
cost, is fully disclosed, understood, and addressed. We have labored to
do so in the past and will continue to do so in the future.

We recognize that Congress, NASA, and the administration have to live
within a budget. At the same time, we cannot allow a budget to force
our hand on safety decisions. We have not done so, nor will we. I do
not believe NASA has done so, nor this, nor the previous
administration. Nevertheless, our concerns on VA-HUD appropriations
were heightened by the March 2002 NASA Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel
Report which stated that the current budget projections for the space
shuttle were insufficient to accommodate significant safety upgrades,
infrastructure needs, and the maintenance of critical workforce skills
over the long term.
Our most recent report to the appropriations bill endorsed these
concerns as well as the need for additional funding for shuttle safety
upgrades. Our concerns were sufficient to request that NASA conduct an
assessment of future safety needs in light of the shuttle's longer than
expected operational life and use. We need to know more and we need to
know more now.
NASA has already responded with a request for additional shuttle
upgrades and safety funding over the next few years. This was the right
response, but we need to know how much more we need to do to ensure
that every funding decision continues to make the lives of our
astronauts the paramount priority at NASA.
Clearly, we had concerns, and those concerns remain. We must work
together to gain greater confidence in NASA's budget.
I applaud and have the highest admiration for NASA Administrator Sean
O'Keefe, who is already working hard on this and many more issues at
NASA. He took over a troubled agency drowning in cost overruns and out-
of-control spending on the International Space Station program. He
stopped the bleeding of huge cost overruns and has righted NASA's ship
through responsible program management. I look forward, as do, I am
sure, the rest of the Members of this body, to continuing to work with
Administrator O'Keefe in our efforts to ensure the safety of our
shuttle program and the well-being of our astronauts. This will, as
always, remain our top priority.
Of course, we must find out what happened to the Columbia, fix the
problem, and move our space program forward, as the deputy
administrator for space so eloquently stated on Saturday. But this is
not a simple issue. We have three international astronauts on the
International Space Station, two Americans and one Russian. We need to
be able to bring them home in complete safety.
The administration is moving forward with two commissions to
understand what happened, and to make sure it does not happen again. In
addition, I believe it is appropriate to hold a hearing in the
appropriations subcommittee on shuttle funding upgrades and safety
needs. This is too important an issue not to receive the full attention
of the Senate. I assure my colleagues that we will work to provide
whatever funding is necessary to meet the immediate needs of the space
agency through the remaining months of the fiscal year.
We are currently waiting to hear back from NASA at this moment, and
clearly we will provide whatever additional funds are necessary for
NASA in the 2003 supplemental, as appropriate, or even if we receive a
request in time in the conference report on the 2003 measure that is
pending. I will convene a hearing on safety needs as soon as
practicable, as soon as NASA has information for us, understanding full
well that the immediate needs focus on recovery of the Columbia, the
crew, and the twin investigations now underway.

At a time of such tragedy, we all function as part of a team with a
single mission, to find out what went wrong, and then to take steps to
make sure it never happens again. We must and we will leave no stone
unturned. There are astronauts who have not yet flown but who will
perhaps this year and in 10 years. They dream of carrying our hopes
beyond this planet we call home. We must always keep faith with them
and their families. We must honor the contract that binds us in this
great endeavor.
That dream has not died with Columbia and her proud crew. Her dream
lives on in the hearts of all of us who look to the heavens on a quiet
night in awe and wonder, and we see the Columbia still. We mourn for
the astronauts and we pray for their families. We shall always remember
them, along with the Challenger and the Apollo crews. The courage of
all of the astronauts shall forever inspire our dreams and brighten our
hopes for the future.
Manned space exploration is a great challenge, a great opportunity.
Yes, there are dangers with it, but fulfilling the hopes and the dreams
of those who have gone before is our great opportunity and our
obligation.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic whip.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senator
from California be recognized for up to 15 minutes after I complete my
remarks.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, before my friend from Missouri leaves the
Chamber, I say to him that the work he and Senator Mikulski have done
on the appropriations subcommittee that deals with the funding for the
space program

[[Page S1849]]

is exemplary. We have gone through some very tough times. There are
many Senators who have offered amendments to do away with the space
station and defund the space program. I have always been proud of the
bipartisan relationship that Senator Bond and Senator Mikulski have had
in fighting for the space program. It is a program we have to protect.
I know there have been editorials saying do away with it; it is not
worthwhile, but I really think it is important for so many reasons, not
the least of which is to explore space.
The second is, I went running this morning. It was raining. It was
windy and cold. I had on a very brief wrap, thin as this piece of
paper, but I was warm. Why? Because it was Goretex. It was invented to
take people into space.
We have accomplished so much in space that is scientific I think it
would be a terrible shame to stop the space programs, and it would not
be a legacy of which this country would be proud.
I publicly acknowledge and congratulate the Senator from Missouri and
the Senator from Maryland for their exemplary work on the subcommittee.
Mr. BOND. Mr. President, if I may, I wish to extend sincere thanks to
the Senator from Nevada for his remarks. Senator Mikulski is and has
been one of the foremost champions of NASA and its mission. She is in
Houston today. I am sure we will hear from her. It is her ongoing and
strong commitment to space shuttle safety that inspires and leads all
of us, and I thank the distinguished assistant minority leader for his
words.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I join my colleagues in remembering the
seven astronauts who perished on the Columbia Space Shuttle. Nevadans
and all Americans, along with the people of India, Israel, and all over
the world, mourn their loss, marvel at their courage, and take pride in
their accomplishments. Our country's space program has made remarkable
success, but many people often overlook the ingenuity, intelligence,
and inspiration that made this success possible. They take for granted
the enormous difficulty involved in the extraordinary achievement,
asking: If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we solve other
problems to overcome other challenges?
The moon landing was a great technological and engineering
achievement. That event and subsequent space travel testify to American
determination, know-how, and our can-do spirit. But sadly, as the
Columbia shuttle tragedy reminds us, space travel remains difficult and
extremely dangerous. The brave men and women who embark on journeys
into the skies are pioneers.
One of the original explorers of outer space is our former colleague
in the Senate, John Glenn. He is a true patriot who served our great
Nation so well in so many capacities. He was a fighter pilot in World
War II, a fighter pilot in Korea, who distinguished himself in many
different ways in the skies defending our country's interests. He was
later, of course, a test pilot who set a transcontinental speed record,
and in 1962 he piloted Friendship 7 spacecraft in the first manned
orbital mission of the United States. He represented Ohio in the U.S.
Senate for 25 years, and nearing the end of his final term, he
volunteered to return to space at age 77 as part of the shuttle crew
that deployed the Spartan solar-observing spacecraft. His encore flight
allowed us to learn about the aging process.

John Glenn was part of that select group depicted by writer Tom Wolfe
in his fascinating book about the early efforts to explore space. John
Glenn indeed proved he has the right stuff.
Another of our Senate colleagues, Bill Nelson, is a veteran of space
travel. He and I served together in the House of Representatives when
he was chosen to be a crew member on the Columbia space shuttle. In
1986, he participated in a 6-day flight that traveled over 2 million
miles and orbited the earth 96 times. He returned safely just 10 days
before the Challenger space shuttle crew was killed.
Senator Nelson has applied his own experience in space to speak
passionately about the value of such missions.
In the wake of the Columbia shuttle tragedy, it is important that we
understand the significance of the shuttle voyages and America's entire
space program.
Sending men and women into space further our understanding of the
mysteries of the universe, and reveals answers to some eternal and
profound questions about the cosmos and the heavens above. In addition,
space exploration improves our everyday lives on Earth in ways both big
and small because the insight we gain has important applications for
our health, environment, safety, comfort and wellbeing.
The Columbia shuttle mission was devoted strictly to onboard science,
with no spacewalks or space station visits involved. More than 80
experiments were conducted during the 16-day flight, including a study
of how zero-gravity affected low-level combustion that might have
helped reduce automobile pollution, observations of the sun that could
teach us more about global climate change, research into water
conservation and reuse, and medical research intended to fight cancer.
So space travel is important to Americans and has benefits for all of
us on Earth. I will continue to be a strong supporter of our space
program.
Certainly, we must investigate what caused the Columbia's demise--and
we must ask difficult questions and get all the answers in order to
improve the safety of future astronaut heroes--but now is a time to
remember the lives of wonderful crew and to grieve.
I encourage everyone to read the newspaper articles about this
diverse team of courageous, dedicated and talented individuals. You
will be impressed with, and inspired by, the range and degree of their
accomplishments.
Nevadans mourn their deaths and extend our sympathy to all of their
families and loved ones. My colleagues will speak about each of the
crew members we lost, and I will in the future discuss more of them,
but in my brief remarks today, I especially offer my condolences on the
loss of Columbia's pilot, William McCool, a Navy commander who was 41
years old. His mother Audrey is a dean at the University of Nevada Las
Vegas and his father Barry both teaches part-time at UNLV and is a
graduate student there.
``Willie'', as their son was known to family and friends, was an
outstanding student who maintained a 4.0 grade point average and
graduated 2nd in a class of over one thousand at the demanding U.S.
Naval Academy. He also excelled in sports, especially running, and was
elected captain of the Navy cross-country team. He was well liked by
all. He had a great smile, a ``stunning personality,'' is how his
classmates described CDR McCool. Later, after the academy, he received
advanced degrees in computer science and engineering and became an
elite pilot. He had more than 400 carrier landings. Perhaps the most
difficult test for any pilot is landing on those carriers as they bob
up and down in the ocean. His parents were proud of him. He was
inspired by his parents.

Willie's father, Barry, was a Navy and Marine pilot, a veteran of
Vietnam. They built model airplanes together when CDR McCool was a boy.
These childhood experiences influenced Willie to pursue aviation and
serve his country, as he did so well. His example was set his by
father. Barry McCool will now serve on the team investigating the
disaster that claimed his son's life and the other six Columbia
astronauts.
Willie had more than 2,800 hours of flight experience. He reacted to
his journey into space with awe and amazement. He said: It's beyond
imagination until you actually get it and see it and experience it and
feel it . . . I have had the opportunity to be on the flight deck
probably more than most of my crew mates, to look outside and really
soak up the sunrises, the sunsets, the moonrises and the moonsets, the
views of the Himalayas.
For someone who appreciated nature and spending time outdoors hiking
and camping, it must have been such a joy to witness the Earth from the
heavens where Willie now resides. My thoughts and prayers are with CDR
McCool's parents, with his wife, his three sons, and all of his loved
ones.
Let me also note that David Brown, a Navy captain, aviator, and
flight surgeon, who was also lost aboard the flight Columbia, was an
instructor at Fallon Naval Air Station in Nevada, the premier tactical
air warfare training facility.

[[Page S1850]]

Even after the loss of their children in the Columbia shuttle
tragedy, the mothers of both these crewmembers want the space program
to continue. Dorothy Brown said in an interview: We're a nation of
explorers. That's why this great Nation has come to what it is, and the
space program will go on, too, for that reason. Audrey McCool, CDR
McCool's mother said: We're very distressed, but we want the space
missions to go on.
What strong women these grieving mothers are. We can surely be
inspired by them, as well as their sons and the entire Columbia crew.
I am reminded of a poem that came about as a result of a revolution
in Ireland. The poem that came from that I have on my desk. I read to
the Senate today ``The Mother.''

I do not grudge them: Lord, I do not grudge
My two strong sons that I have seen go out
To break their strength and die, they and a few,
In bloody protest for a glorious thing.
They shall be spoken of among their people,
The generations shall remember them,
And call them blessed;
The little names that were familiar once
Round my dead hearth.
Lord, thou art hard on mothers:
We suffer in their coming and their going:
And tho' I grudge them not, I weary, weary
Of the long sorrow--And yet I have my joy:
My sons were faithful, and they fought.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from California.
Mrs. BOXER. I ask unanimous consent immediately following my remarks,
Senator Enzi be recognized for 8 minutes, and Senator Leahy for 10
minutes after Senator Enzi.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I rise on behalf of the people of my
State, California, who have very strong ties to the space program and
the shuttle program. Today I pay tribute to the seven astronauts who
lost their lives in the Columbia disaster. Our Nation and the world
deeply mourn their loss. These seven brave explorers--Rick Husband,
William McCool, Michael Anderson, Kalpana Chawla, David Brown, Laurel
Clark, and Ilan Ramon--gave their lives to extend the frontiers of
science. With their mission accomplished, the shuttle and its crew were
returning to Earth in triumph. So near to landing, yet so far. As we
all know, the flight ended in tragedy.
We know that we gained valuable new knowledge and understanding of
space from this mission, from Columbia. But we have lost something that
is truly priceless, the lives of seven outstanding men and women who
had worlds left to conquer. As we look at their faces, our best and our
brightest, we grieve for their families.
I wish to say a few words about three of the astronauts who had
special connections with my home State of California.
William McCool, pilot of the Columbia, was born in San Diego, where
he spent much of his first 15 years. His NASA assignment capped a
distinguished Navy career as a test pilot, avionics researcher, and
administrative and operations officer.
Dr. Kalpana Chawla lived and worked in California from 1988 to 1994.
After 4 years at the Ames Research Center near Sunnyvale, she joined
Overset Methods, Inc., of Los Altos, as vice president and research
scientist. There she formed and headed a research team that made
important advances in computational field dynamics, particularly in
streamlining the flow of air over vehicles during launch.
Like Willie McCool, Kalpana Chawla had character traits that are
often associated with California such as a great sense of adventure and
a desire to stretch the boundaries in her case of traditional women's
work--and she did.
Rick Husband, Columbia's commander, served as an instructor pilot and
academic instructor at George Air Force Base in California and attended
test pilot school at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Working
through a college extension program at Edwards, he then earned a
master's degree in mechanical engineering from California State
University at Fresno in 1990. In November 2002, citing his role as
astronaut and mission commander, the Fresno State Alumni Association
honored Colonel Husband at its Top Dog Alumni Awards ceremony. A proud
Fresno State alumnus, he wore his red Bulldog sweatshirt in space
aboard Columbia.
The people of my State are proud of our connection to these three
astronauts. We honor their memory, along with that of their crewmates,
Michael Anderson, David Brown, Laurel Clark, and Ilan Ramon. We know,
of course, since we did have an Israeli on board, this has become an
international tragedy. We send our condolences to the family of
Astronaut Ramon and to the Government of Israel.
I stated how proud my people at home are of our connection, not only
to these astronauts but to the shuttle program. California was the
birthplace of the shuttle. All were built in California, in Palmdale.
The Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena was instrumental in development of
the shuttle, and most years, shuttle missions ended with landings at
Edwards Air Force Base.
So this has hit home to us. We shall forever honor and remember these
seven heroes, as we build on their accomplishments and carry on their
important work. May God bless their memories and comfort their families
and colleagues and inspire future explorers with the courage to follow
in their footsteps.
As we honor these courageous men and women, we must also begin the
task of finding the answers--answers to the hard questions why and how
do we prevent these happenings--questions about the cause of this
tragedy and also about the future of space exploration. As a member of
the Senate Commerce Committee, which has oversight over NASA, I will be
asking many questions in the weeks ahead. Could the Columbia disaster
have been prevented? We know that space travel cannot be completely
foolproof, but are there steps that could have been taken to prevent
this weekend's tragedy? Was the shuttle program compromised by budget
cuts and cost-cutting?

I support a strong space program, but you can't do it on the cheap.
Were safety warnings ignored or, worse yet, suppressed? Were members of
NASA's safety advisory board removed after raising these questions?
Yesterday, the New York Times reported that five members of NASA's
Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel--that is more than half the panel--were
dismissed shortly after warning about safety problems. And a sixth
member of the panel was so disgusted with the dismissals that he quit.
There are allegations that these panelists were removed as a result of
their critical statements about safety problems. We need to get to the
bottom of this matter. I have written to Senator McCain and Senator
Hollings, the chair and ranking member of the Commerce Committee on
which I serve. I have asked them to invite the members of the safety
advisory panel, many of whom were fired, one of whom quit, to give
their testimony.
I also asked that Senator John Glenn be invited. He is a major
supporter of the space program and he really has important things to
say. I spoke with him. I don't even want to quote what he said because
I think he knows so much and should say it in his own way, as to what
we need to do here. As a former Senator and as an astronaut, he brings
an incredible expertise to the table. I know he has the respect of all
my colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
Let me say there is one thing that is not an issue in my mind and
that is the future of the manned space program. I strongly support
that. But now is the time to use this moment to examine the future of
space exploration. For example, what is the future role of the space
shuttle? Are the existing shuttles sufficient to carry out the mission?
Are they in good enough condition--excellent condition, perfect
condition--to carry those men and women in the future? What is the role
of the International Space Station? Is too great a share of our limited
resources being spent on the space station? Is too much money on the
space station being spent on maintenance rather than scientific
experiments?
I have read that the astronauts are saying they are scientists and
they are spending 80 percent of their time on the platform, on the
space station, keeping house, doing maintenance on the space station
rather than the experiments they really want to do.
What about a possible manned mission to Mars, which seems to have
disappeared from anyone's agenda? Most

[[Page S1851]]

fundamentally, how do we recommit ourselves to a space program that
captures the imagination of America, and what would this take in terms
of funding its goals?
So we need to ask all these questions and we need to get the answers.
We have to work together, across party lines, to come up with this
vision. Whatever we come up with, it needs to be funded, funded in a
way so safety will never be at issue; we will know that we have done
every single thing we could possibly do.
The family of Columbia's crew has said, ``the bold exploration of
space must go on.'' I fully agree with them. But it sits on our
shoulders, those of us here who are called upon to fund this program,
to make sure we are funding it in the right way; that we are not
wasting dollars but that the dollars are going to ensure that the
program's goals are met; that there are clear goals; and that safety
comes first.
Over the past two decades, shuttle crews have carried out scores of
experiments in space that have helped to advance science on Earth. For
example, they have studied the effects of gravity on humans, animals,
and plants. They have tracked the movement of fault lines on the
Earth's crust, something very important to many of our States,
particularly mine. They have gauged the impact of typhoons and other
storms. They have measured changes of forest cover in remote areas of
Alaska and Canada. And they have helped archaeologists locate the long
lost city of Umar, a 4,000-year-old settlement on the Arabian
peninsula.
Many shuttle missions have included medical researchers who used the
environment of space to further their understanding of cell growth,
human metabolism, and a variety of diseases.
We have much to be proud of in these days as we mourn.
I will join Chairman McCain and the other members of the Commerce
Committee in seeking to determine the cause of the Columbia disaster
and outlining the steps we must take to avoid its recurrence. At the
same time, I will work to define the goals and the mission of the space
program and make sure the funding is there for accomplishing the
mission in the safest possible way.
In closing, I can't help but remark that their faces--those beautiful
faces--will stay with me for a long time, and that they represent the
hope and the promise of our future.
Mr. President, as you sit with me on the Foreign Relations Committee,
I know all of our Members on both sides are very concerned that we
protect the lives of not only our young people but young people all
over the world, and that we will find a way to do that which makes
sense for our stronger Nation.
We are reminded when we read what the astronauts say every time a
different astronaut goes up: what a fragile planet we live on. It
always renews my commitment, as I am sure it does your commitment, Mr.
President, that we must protect this planet--the air, the water, the
forests, and the wetlands. They are a gift from God.
In memory of those who lost their lives this weekend, we will
continue to explore and we will continue to reach for the stars. We
should do no less.
Thank you very much, Mr. President. I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senator from
Wyoming is recognized.
Mr. ENZI. Thank you, Mr. President. I thank the Senator from
California for the challenges which she placed before us as well as the
memories to which she spoke.
Today, here in the Senate and the House, in Houston, TX, all across
the country, and in places throughout the world, people of all faiths
and from all walks of life will take a moment to remember the tragic
loss of the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia this past weekend. As we
do, we will put aside our differences and come together as a family to
remember those who were lost and the great cause for which they gave
their lives.
For me, the story of this past weekend's events begins when I was
growing up--a Boy Scout who was fascinated by rockets and rocketry.
That interest continued to show itself as I became a young man who was
fascinated by the two latest creations of the day--television and the
start of our space program. As science worked to develop the tools we
would need to explore outer space, television gave us all a front row
seat so we would see what was happening.
Back then, the early successes in rocketry--mostly by Russia--fired
our imaginations and steeled our will to win the race to reach the
heavens. It was only natural for me and the people of Wyoming to feel
so moved. After all, we were the products of the pioneer spirit. Our
ancestors had left the comforts of the East behind and headed West
looking for a new life and to explore what was then the new frontier.
They were pioneers.
As television became a more common addition to our homes, it brought
the next new frontier--space--into our very living rooms. Each day we
could see the latest events of the day that were happening around the
world beamed right into our living rooms. We watched in fascination as
things that were happening miles and miles away were seen right in the
comfort of our own homes. For me, the stars of the sky came in second
place in importance only to the stars of the space program. Me and all
of my friends, especially those who had been in the Scouts, wanted to
be just like them.
I still remember the days when we would go to a local field and work
on our own experiments in rocketry. Then, as we grew older, when a new
flight was announced by NASA, we would grab the first chance we had to
watch it as the miracle of television brought the wonders of space
flight to our homes and our schools.
Competition was with the Russians. But now there is cooperation with
the Russians in space and with the space station.
Our efforts to explore space and the continuing impact of seeing it
all live on television made for a powerful pair as we heard the words
of John F. Kennedy as he challenged the Nation to land a man on the
moon. His vision led us onward and upward. And it wasn't all that long
afterwards that my wife and I--newlyweds--felt a personal stake in what
we saw on the television before us. We sat spellbound as we watched
Neil Armstrong take his one small step on the Moon that meant so much
for all mankind.
Neil Armstrong was part of a long line of astronauts who braved the
odds to do the impossible as, together as a nation, we reached for
greatness. Over the years, there had been disappointments, failures and
tragedies, but with each success we felt like we had a grip on the
process and that the odds would be forever in our favor.
Somewhere along the way in the years that passed, we forgot that
space is a cold, unfriendly place and that space flight brings with it
great risks and dangers as well as great rewards. We forgot the lesson
learned from the early days of the space program--that when we dream
great dreams and achieve great successes, we are also courting great
danger.
We think of the shuttle as an airplane. And we know how safe
airplanes are. That danger was brought painfully home when we launched
the Space Shuttle Challenger.
All at once and without warning, the reliable space machine we had
come to trust and take for granted blew up and disintegrated before our
eyes.
I remember that day so well because it was the day we were to send
our first educator into space, Christa McAuliffe. In schools all over
the country, children and their teachers watched excitedly as a school
teacher prepared to make her voyage into space. When it ended in
tragedy, a lot of fathers and mothers sat down that night with their
children to talk about what they had seen at school that day. They got
a lot of tough questions from little children with sad eyes who
wondered why these things have to happen.
Mothers and fathers have no answers for those questions and they can
only say that sometimes bad things happen to good people. They can only
hug and hold and remind their little ones that there is a God and
somehow He works all things for His good. Someday we may know what
that good is. But for now, all we can do is trust and hope and pray.

Now we have felt that pain for a second time. The first brought us an
awareness of the risks we take in exploring the unknown. It reminded us
that despite the best of planning and

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preparation sometimes things happen that we could never have possibly
prepared for. Now we watch these events unfold for a second time with a
different sense--and from a different perspective. We remember the
risks of space flight. But, as we mourn those who were lost, we renew
our feeling of determination and our resolve to succeed no matter the
odds or the obstacles to be overcome.
The crews of the Challenger and the Columbia--those modern day
pioneers--will be forever linked in our minds, tied together by the
same terrible helplessness we felt as we watched both tragedies unfold.
Each time we searched for answers that we knew would never come. In the
end, each time we found ourselves more determined than ever before to
move ahead, and to continue the exploration of space that must never
end. And, in the end, that is the important lesson we will take with
us. We may experience defeat, but we will never be defeated. In this
and all we pursue in life, we will ultimately succeed as long as we
hold true to our dreams and follow our star.
And the success is far-reaching. I have a heart repair that would not
have been possible without the space program. Science moves on,
stimulated by the unknown and represented by space.
When the crew of the Challenger died, President Reagan comforted the
Nation with the words that the crew that had slipped the surly bonds of
Earth had reached out and touched the face of God. This past weekend,
President Bush assured us that the ``God who names the stars also knows
the names of the seven souls we mourn today.''
Then and now, both crews left us with our eyes gazing toward the
skies and the heavens above, hopeful and prayerful that if they had to
leave us, they had done so in pursuit of a better place as they
returned, not to Earth, but to their home in God's holy heaven.
This night, and the next, and for many to come, when we go out on our
back porch or sit in the backyard and look up at the stars, we will
remember the Challenger and the Columbia and their valiant crews. The
lights of the sky will remind us of their indomitable spirit and our
pledge that as long as there are stars in the skies, we will never stop
reaching out to them to explore, to dare and to dream in space and on
Earth. That is our life, our legacy and our shared vision as Americans.
It is what makes us unique, and it is why our nation will always be
known as the land of the free and the home of the brave.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senator from
Vermont is recognized.
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, as I listen to my friend from Wyoming and
my friend from California and others who are speaking in this Chamber
today, I am reminded of what I heard throughout the State of Vermont
this past weekend while I was home--whether it was people who stopped
me in a grocery store and just wanted to reach out and touch somebody--
perhaps we would embrace for a moment--or whether it was coming out of
mass on Sunday at the church, where the same thing occurred--the people
have felt such sorrow and shock. There is no other way you could
express yourself.
Those of us who have grown up seeing the space program have seen so
many of the triumphs. I still remember our own colleague, Senator John
Glenn, a man I was elected with in the same year, in his amazing orbit
of the Earth. Then later, when he was well into his 70s, he had another
trip as an astronaut. We saw that too. We saw man's first steps on the
moon, of which every one of us remembers exactly where we were when
that occurred. We also remember exactly where we were when the
Challenger was destroyed. And I suspect we will always remember exactly
where we were when we got the news about the Columbia space shuttle.
Today we are so connected automatically, with live television, radio,
and friends and neighbors calling us when something such as this
happens, a tragedy which unites not only the whole country but the
whole world. Everybody seems to know it almost immediately.
So, as so many other Senators, I rise to pay tribute to the seven
astronauts who lost their lives in the Columbia tragedy last Saturday
morning. Here was this magnificent space vessel, with these seven
wonderful, exemplary human beings, streaking across the sky dozens of
miles above the Earth at eight times the speed of sound; and then,
suddenly, Columbia disintegrated.
A clergyman in Florida aptly described the fiery contrails we watched
repeatedly on Saturday as: ``a glistening tear across the face of the
heavens.'' There is nothing I could write that would say it any better.
We were and are sad not only because of the loss of these heroes and
the interruption of space exploration, but because this tragedy reminds
us of other astronauts who have paid the ultimate price.
As with every national tragedy, we rise from the shock and the
sadness through commemoration and perseverance. We heard the President
of the United States, who spoke shortly after the tragedy, and again
eloquently today, as did others in Texas. The President tells us--and
we know in our hearts--we cannot forget these heroes: Rick Husband,
William McCool, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel
Blair Salton Clark, and Ilan Ramon. Each represented a special kind of
intelligence, dedication and energy we should all aspire to, and
certainly all young people in this country should aspire to.
Over and over we have read their biographies, their stories. We have
heard their neighbors, their friends, their teachers, their classmates,
and their fellow astronauts tell of the barriers they had to overcome
in their lives and the almost superhuman rise above senseless bias and
discrimination. They will be missed, but they will continue to stand as
models. I hope we will continue to read of their stories because they
are role models for us here in the United States, but also for those in
Israel, as with COL Ramon, and for those in India, and really for
everyone across the globe.

Someone said: This is such a public tragedy. But that is the way the
space program has been. We have shown publicly our triumphs, and we
have shown publicly our disasters. We have shown the fears and the
overwhelming thrills over the years.
I close with this, Mr. President: To remind everybody we are at the
bicentennial of the congressional authorization for the Lewis and Clark
exploration of the West, when President Thomas Jefferson said: Go forth
to explore the West and our boundaries. And the Congress said to go
forth.
Lewis and Clark knew no frontiers. They did not know what they would
find. And these astronauts knew no frontiers. We Americans have never
known frontiers.
So we will find the cause of Columbia's loss. We will fix it. The
shuttle program will continue. The manned space program will move
forward. We will return to space. It is our destiny, I believe. And
there, in the spirit of the seven, we will again invest our knowledge
and resources to learn about our origins, our daily lives, and, maybe,
catch a glimpse of the future.
I see my friend from Oregon in the Chamber. I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Dole). The Senator from Oregon.
Mr. SMITH. Madam President, I express admiration for Senator Leahy's
words and for the contribution that many of our colleagues will make in
this Chamber to try to give expression to their own feelings and, more
importantly, to the feelings of those who reside in our respective
States.
I am mindful that in each one's own way and on one's own terms, every
American--every Oregonian, suffers from the Columbia tragedy. All I can
do is reflect on what I feel, but I think that in saying what I will
today, it is similar to what many also feel.
As an American citizen, as someone who is 50 years old, I have always
taken particular pride that we are descended from Pilgrims and
pioneers. We have a history, a heritage, a legacy that stretches from
Columbus to Columbia. We are the children of an American spirit that
believes in discovery, in development, in pioneering new ways, and
exploring new frontiers.
I remember, as a young boy, the experience of hearing about the
Russian launch of Sputnik, and seeing the satellite in the sky as it
made its way over the American continent.
With particular wonder, I remember, as an elementary school boy, how

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Weekly Reader--which was something we would always spend time learning
from--began to fill with stories of our own space program.
I remember, like many of my colleagues, taking inspiration from the
leadership of John F. Kennedy challenging us in pursuit of the new
frontier and in a man landing on the moon and his safe return.
I remember, with great pride, the launch of Alan Shepherd as part of
the Mercury program, just to see if man could live in outer space.
I remember, as an elementary school boy, attending the parade that
was held in Washington, DC for John Glenn. Little did I realize that
one day I would have the privilege of serving with John Glenn in the
U.S. Senate. I remember his parade down Pennsylvania Avenue and how we,
as a new generation of Americans, celebrated the renewing of the
American spirit of exploration.
I remember following with great interest the Apollo program and being
inspired by the remarkable realization that two Americans were on the
Moon. Neil Armstrong is a hero, the first to make that small step for
man but that giant leap for mankind. I remember the pride I felt when
the Apollo program was merged with the Soyuz program and began to break
down the cold war barriers with Russia. Then, of course, the space
shuttle came and we watched with awe as this new configuration of the
space program inspired us all in the new possibilities of learning and
discovery.
I don't think any of us will forget that day that Challenger went
down and the heartache we felt as it exploded upon its launch. Now we
add the memory of watching Columbia disintegrate as it reemerged into
the Earth's atmosphere.
Where do we go from here? As we stand on the verge of a foreign
conflict and struggle with our economy, it is entirely appropriate for
Congress to look at the space program and, with our President, set new
goals. I hope they will include a space station, even a Moon station,
and eventually a landing on the planet of Mars. That reflects the
highest standards of American leadership. This demonstrates America's
courage and it will firmly fix, in the firmament of heaven, America's
place among the leadership of nations.
My final thoughts are to the families. As we witnessed the ceremony
today, we all grieve for the parents and the children of these
astronauts who have lost their parent or their child. I am reminded of
an admonition that the only way to take sorrow out of death is to take
love out of life. Death often looms as the ultimate calamity, but it
need not be if we keep it in perspective of eternity.
Some time ago, I was attracted to a monument I saw in England. Its
words seem appropriate at this occasion. They were about time. As I
looked at these families who are suffering and saw how tragic death
loomed for them, I am sure they wondered how they could endure time
without their loved one. This monument said: Time is too slow for those
who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve,
too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is
eternity.
I add my voice to those of my colleagues here today to say God bless
the memory of Rick Husband, William McCool, Michael Anderson, Kalpana
Chawla, David Brown, Laurel Clark, and Ilan Ramon of Israel. To them I
say: Godspeed.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah.
Mr. HATCH. Madam President, I thank my colleague from Hawaii for
allowing me to proceed ahead of him. I certainly appreciate his
kindness.
I rise today to salute the seven astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle
Columbia who lost their lives as they endeavored to conquer the vast
unknown of space.
I would like to take a moment to praise the work of Commander Rick
Husband, Pilot William McCool, Mission Specialist Kalpana Chawla,
Mission Specialist David Brown, Mission Specialist Michael Anderson,
Mission Specialist Laurel Clark, and Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon.
These great heroes will always be remembered for their willingness to
carry the hopes and aspirations of a country with them into space, even
though they made the ultimate sacrifice for their efforts.
I know the months and years ahead will be filled with debate over
many issues surrounding this tragedy.
Certainly, we will hear questions asked about the ongoing funding of
NASA and the safety concerns surrounding such adventurous exploration.
The Nation will need answers to these questions.
Hearings should be held. Investigations should be conducted. But in
the final analysis, let us not forget how valuable the space program is
to our country and to the American spirit.
I would like to ask my colleagues, administration officials, and NASA
to proceed with their investigations in a prudent manner and return our
astronauts to space as soon as possible.
I would like to see a renewed focus for NASA, a focus that would
rival President Kennedy's challenge to be the first Nation to send a
man to the moon.
This can only be done by pressing forward with bold new space
initiatives and not by prolonged critiquing and endless investigations.
Just the mention of the word ``space'' conveys so many special
meanings to each of us.
Thoughts of heroes such as Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong come
immediately to mind. In many ways, our Nation is defined by the
adventurous space program which has been a part of our national
heritage for over 40 years.
Terms such as courage, bravery, and pioneer are not afforded to those
who take no risk and who sit on the sidelines and watch. No, those
terms are reserved for people and nations willing to take risks in
order to learn and advance the knowledge of all mankind. As President
Reagan said, in the face of the loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger,
``The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the
brave.'' The seven astronauts who piloted the Space Shuttle Columbia
heard that call and will forever be remembered for their bravery.
No American relishes the loss of life and the sacrifice of those
courageous astronauts. But every American is thankful for the
willingness of these astronauts to press forward--even when the risks
are so great--in order to provide more knowledge and nurture a new
generation of scientists who are inspired to look at the universe
differently every time astronauts venture into the darkness of space.
The space program is so vitally important to our Nation's science
education. Every year, bright, energetic, wide-eyed students enter the
Nation's school systems and are motivated by the new scientific
findings in our universe. They grow to love science, a love that will
stay with them throughout their lives and continue to propel our
Nation's scientific discoveries into the future.
We cannot let that love die. It is our duty to push the envelope, to
explore the outer reaches of our universe. Innovation and determination
shape our scientific future and the space program is such a crucial
part of that.
My home State of Utah has long been actively engaged in America's
space program. Our own Richfield, UT native, former Senator, and my
friend, Astronaut Jake Garn, left Cape Canaveral on the Space Shuttle
Discovery in April 1985 and return to earth over 6 days later after
having orbited the earth 110 times.
As well, ATK, a leading-edge aerospace company based in Utah provides
state-of-the-art solid rocket motors which makes the idea of people
being able to fly through space a reality.
Utah's contribution to the success of our Nation's space program goes
on and on, but let it suffice to say, that the entire State of Utah
mourns for the loss of these brave astronauts. We pray for their
families and those they have left behind.
Now is not the time to take a huge step backward in our space program
and send the message to the next generation of Americans that when
things get hard or when plans go wrong, we should give up . . . give up
and let our dreams and aspirations fall victim to a task that appears
hopelessly difficult.
No, now is not that time.
Now is the time when we need to stare adversity in the face. Learn
from past mistakes. Refocus our vision on what we can accomplish by
working together toward a unified goal. Now is

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the time to raise a new generation of heroes and teach them how to
overcome difficult circumstances.
Yes, America will continue its space program. We will be more than
mere spectators of the universe. We will be active participants and we
will train a new generation of explorers who will build on the
foundation laid by these great astronauts abroad the Space Shuttle
Columbia. Who knows what this new generation may discover? With the
rapid pace of technological advances and the courage to conquer the
unknown, it is sure to be something great.
Elaine and I send our very strongest condolences to the families of
the astronauts who have lost their lives in the service of their
country. We will pray for those families and pray that somehow they
will be comforted in this hour of need.
I personally know what it is like to lose a member of the family
while serving our country. My older brother was killed in the Second
World War at the Ploesti oil raid that helped to knock out Hitler's oil
supply. It was a very difficult thing for our family, and it still is.
In the last month, I have been reading the letters he wrote to my
mother and I have gotten to know him better than I ever thought I
would--as a person who gave his life for us and did it willingly so
that we might be free.
These astronauts have given their lives for us and they have given
them willingly, helping us to be free, to have a better society, to
explore in this day and age, much like Lewis and Clark did in their day
and age, the outreaches of the universe and help us to gain
scientifically every step of the way. I am grateful to them and their
families and I pray for them.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Hawaii is recognized.
Mr. AKAKA. Madam President, I rise today to join my colleagues on
this sad and solemn afternoon to honor the lives of our brave astronaut
heroes: the seven crew members of the Space Shuttle Columbia who were
lost Saturday morning on their return from a 16-day scientific mission
in outer space.
As we honor the memory of the Columbia crew, Shuttle Commander Rick
Husband, Pilot William McCool, Payload Commander Michael Anderson,
Mission Specialist Kalpana Chawla, Mission Specialist David Brown,
Mission Specialist Laurel Clark, and Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon, I
send my heartfelt sympathy to their families and loved ones.
This is a national and international tragedy that has brought people
and nations around the globe together in grief and remembrance. The men
and women onboard the Columbia epitomized the best and brightest our
country has to offer, and the participation of other nations in the
shuttle program illustrates the collaboration and interconnection
between America and other nations in the peaceful exploration of space
and progress of scientific inquiry. The Columbia crew, like most of the
men and women in our space program, came to NASA as successful and
respected leaders from their respective professions. As scientists,
doctors, surgeons, aviators, and military officers, they sought to
share their expertise in the service of our Nation and mankind. In the
decades since Sputnik and John Glenn's orbital mission of the earth in
the Friendship 7, people around the world have been fascinated with
possibilities of space exploration. The shuttle program opened the
reality of space exploration to astronauts from many nations and caught
the interest of young people around the world.
Colonel Ramon, Israel's first astronaut and one of his nation's
premier air force pilots, captured the imagination of the Israeli
people. His participation in the shuttle program stirred a great sense
of pride and hope in a nation that has endured so much conflict and
violence over the past two years. Dr. Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian-
born woman to go into space, is a national heroine in India and a great
inspiration to young people in both that land of her birth and her
adopted home, especially young women and girls who saw Dr. Chawla as a
role model for the possibilities and opportunities available to them.
As we mourn the loss of these brave individuals, men and women who
willingly assumed the risk of space travel in their dedication to
science and the expansion of human knowledge to new frontiers, we are
reminded of the human spirit for exploration and discovery. Indeed, the
quintessential trait of the American national character is the sense of
adventure and curiosity that led pioneers and homesteaders westward,
impelled men and women in Europe and Asia to emigrate to a new, vast,
and unknown Nation with only the promise of opportunity and prosperity,
and embraced President Kennedy's challenge to put a man on the moon.
America has been peopled by men and women driven by this spirit, and
it is a quality we greatly admire and respect in our leaders and fellow
citizens. The crew of the Columbia fully understood that there are many
dangers associated with space flight, but looked beyond them while
seeking to bring forth wisdom and reason from the vast unknown through
space exploration and research. The crew understood that the
experiments they were conducting on a wide array of medical and
scientific subjects held the promise of major scientific advancements
and benefit to mankind.
In the coming weeks and months, we must investigate what caused this
tragedy and ensure that manned space flight is safe for our men and
women who dedicate their lives to space exploration. As we scour the
earth for answers to this tragedy, we must not lose sight of the
heavens, or allow our fascination with exploring, discovering, or
dreaming to wane. For by reaffirming our resolve to explore the wonders
and mysteries of the universe, we honor the memory of the Columbia's
crew, and the memory of all those astronauts who lost their lives in
our Nation's endeavor to understand outer space.
I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. AKAKA. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the time under
the quorum calls be equally divided; in addition, I ask unanimous
consent that the previous quorum calls be equally divided.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. AKAKA. I thank the Chair. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I join my colleagues in expressing our
gratefulness to the seven heroes who were lost on the Space Shuttle
Columbia Saturday as they completed a mission of science to benefit the
world.
I also share my thoughts and prayers with the families they've left
behind.
Over the past few days, we have seen an outpouring of support from
people all over the world for these seven remarkable individuals, and
the work they carried out so selflessly.
From formal memorial services--like the one held in Houston today--to
more spontaneous tributes throughout America, Israel, India and other
nations, people around the world have shared their words of loss and
appreciation.
Frankly, there is little I can add to the chorus of eloquent voices
we have heard over the past few days.
But what I can do--and what I am honored to do on behalf of the
people I represent--is to share with the Senate how two members of this
amazing crew touched the lives of many in my home State of Washington.
Columbia pilot William McCool was a Commander in the United States
Navy. He served two tours at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in
Washington State.
Commander McCool was an EA-6B pilot serving in both the Tactical
Electronic Warfare Squadron 133 and the Tactical Electronic Warfare
Squadron 132.
His colleague, Columbia Payload Commander Michael Anderson, was a

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Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force. Colonel Anderson had
long ties to the Spokane area in Washington State.
Both of these astronauts touched lives in Washington State. Both were
accomplished pilots. Both were pillars in their communities. Both were
strong family members.
On Saturday afternoon, I called the Commander of the Naval Air
Station Whidbey Island. Over the years, I have had an opportunity to
work with the fine crews at NAS Whidbey Island. I have shared both good
times and bad times with them. When I called on Saturday just a few
hours after the disaster, I knew the air crews and the families would
be struggling with Commander McCool's death.
I spoke with Captain Steven Black. I had expected to hear stories of
Willie McCool's service at NAS Whidbey earlier in his distinguished
career. I heard that--and so much more--as Captain Black told me about
this man who was so revered by his fellow Naval airmen at Whidbey.
Willie was a role model to young flyers at Whidbey. They all followed
his career and his many accomplishments in the Air Force and as an
astronaut with NASA.
Captain Black told me about his recent E-mails with Commander McCool.
Just 2 days before, Commander McCool took the time to E-mail his
friends and colleagues at Whidbey. Whidbey Island had an effect on
Willie McCool. And Willie McCool had an impact on NAS Whidbey Island
that lives on in the mission and the talents of the Naval personnel
serving there.
As Captain Black told a reporter,

Willie flew the skies of Washington state. He was a
talented pilot. He was very enthusiastic about his work. He
had a contagious sense of awe and wonder at the science
behind the flying he loved.

And Commander McCool touched lives in communities beyond NAS Whidbey.
One of those communities is Anacortes, WA, where he and his family
lived and continue to own a home. Anacortes is north of Oak Harbor and
NAS Whidbey. It is a small town that took immense pride in having
Commander McCool as a neighbor, a parent, and a fellow outdoorsman.
Commander McCool's appreciation for Anacortes and the local community
was with him on the Columbia mission.
He took with him a Douglas Fir Cone from the Little Cranberry Lake
area. That cone represented the seeds of a future generation.
Commander McCool's commitment and service to future generations is
now represented on the sign outside of Fidalgo Elementary School. That
sign says, ``Fidalgo salutes a legacy of a good friend, Commander
William McCool.''
Let me now turn to another Columbia hero with ties to Washington
State, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Anderson.
On Sunday morning, parishioners of the Morning Star Missionary
Baptist Church in Spokane gathered to worship and pay tribute to him.
Michael Anderson and his family are long time members of the
congregation.
Speaking of Lieutenant Colonel Anderson, Reverend Freeman Simmons
offered words of comfort to friends of the Anderson family.
Reverend Freedom said,

He belonged to more than his family, more than his race,
more than his different affiliations. He belonged to this
age.

Michael Anderson was born in New York State. He and his family came
to Spokane, WA, during his father's Air Force service at Fairchild Air
Force Base. He graduated from Cheney High School and came across the
Cascades to attend the University of Washington. At UW, Anderson earned
degrees in both physics and astronomy. He went on to a career in the
Air Force as pilot and was selected to join NASA and the space program
in 1994.
Lieutenant Colonel Anderson was one of the veterans aboard Columbia.
He previously spent 211 hours in space on the 89th shuttle mission in
1998 to the Russian space station MIR. On that mission, Anderson
traveled 3.6 million miles in 138 orbits around the Earth aboard the
shuttle Endeavor.
Aboard the Columbia, Payload Commander Anderson was responsible for
the incredible science being conducted during the mission. His mission
was to manage 79 experiments on behalf of several space agencies and
school children in many countries.
Michael Anderson considered Spokane his hometown, and Spokane is
proud of his service. Today, all across Spokane, the community has
posted its respect and admiration for our lost astronauts. One sign on
Division Street reads, ``NASA we mourn with you.'' Another reads,
``Remember our Astronauts.''
Lieutenant Colonel Anderson's many contributions to space and science
will live as a lasting tribute to an accomplished and heroic American.
Let me mention just one.
Following Michael's successful 1998 shuttle mission, he returned to
Washington State and the Spokane area. In May 1998, he want back to his
alma mater, Cheney High School. He shared his experiences with students
and he returned a school pennant which he had taken with him into space
on that first mission.
One of the teachers described his appearance at a school assembly
saying:

His message to the kids was so upbeat and so positive. ``It
doesn't matter what your dream is. If you are willing to
chart the course, if you are willing to do what it takes, you
can achieve your dreams.'' When that assembly was over, no
one wanted to leave. They all wanted to stay and talk to
Mike.

Both of these men left families. These men were spouses, fathers,
community leaders, role models in service to our country. They will be
missed by their families and a grateful nation. We will stand with the
families as they grieve. We will be with them as the Nation seeks
answers to the Columbia tragedy, and we will join them in honoring
their loved ones as space exploration and discovery go forward. Willie
McCool, Michael Anderson, and all of our Columbia astronauts gave so
much of their lives in service and exploration. Our task now is to
ensure their spirit continues to deliver the wonders of space that they
explored on our behalf.
I continue with the words from Willie McCool in an e-mail message to
his colleagues at NAS Whidbey. Commander McCool spoke of seeing the Sun
rise and set on the Earth from space and wrote:

The colors are stunning.
In a single view, I see--looking out at the edge of the
earth:
red at the horizon line,
blending to orange and yellow,
followed by a thin white line,
then light blue,
gradually turning to dark blue
and various gradually darker shades of grey
then black and a million stars above.
It's breathtaking.

Madam President, I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia.
Mr. ALLEN. I ask unanimous consent that the distinguished senior
Senator from Virginia and I be recognized for a time not to exceed 20
minutes to engage in a colloquy, and that it be charged against the
time of the majority.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. ALLEN. Madam President, I join with my colleague, Senator Warner,
on this sad day, not just for America but for the world. It is a day on
which we commemorate and honor the lives of the seven courageous
astronauts. We are joined together in honoring the lives of these
courageous individuals who dedicated their lives and decided to use
their talents to reach high; to reach for high ideals, and who assumed
the risks of these dangers in a very noble effort to improve our
quality of life here on Earth.
This is a day of admiration. It is a day of inspiration for us and
for the NASA people who care so much about this tragedy, the loss of
these heroes. We all watched in horror as they were trying to come back
into our atmosphere. The tragic disaster was more than just a loss for
us in the United States, but it was a loss for the entire world
community--whose diversity, ingenuity, and skill are reflected in the
members of this historic crew.
Our hearts ache for the grieving but amazingly brave families of
these heroes who perished in this catastrophic failure. As we go
through the list of those on the shuttle we see Rick Husband,
Commander; Pilot William McCool; Michael Anderson; CDR Kalpana Chawla,
Mission Specialist Laurel Clark; Mission Specialist Ilan Ramon of
Israel; and David M. Brown, Mission Specialist 1 and Navy captain from
Arlington, VA, a Virginia resident, born and raised in Virginia, he

[[Page S1856]]

went to college at the College of William and Mary after attending
Yorktown High School, and was graduated from Eastern Virginia Medical
School in Norfolk, VA.
Our thoughts and prayers are with all these families. But for my
colleagues to get to know the character of these families, where they
came from, it is important that I share with you my conversation with
David's brother Doug. David's brother was the only family member who
was waiting for him when he was to land in Florida.
It is a family of achievers. His father--it would have been very
difficult for him to get down there because his father is in a
wheelchair. His father contracted polio at the age of 5. It never
deterred him. He became a judge. He campaigned, somehow, door to door,
and then was appointed as a circuit court judge, where he served
honorably and expertly for 20 years, watching a great deal of growth
and transformation in Northern Virginia.
David's brother Doug, with whom I spoke today, is a hero and
character in his own sense. He went to West Virginia University. I
said: Why did you leave Virginia to go to West Virginia? And he said
they have a great target shooting program there. He himself was a two-
time All-American. It is a family of achievers.
Doug talked about family, not just his family but the NASA family;
about this crew and how this flight was delayed time after time; one
time because they were sending up another mission to fix the Hubble.
Another time there was a delay because of repair of the fuel lines. So
the family became closer. By the time they were actually able to launch
and go off on their mission, they had become very close.
We talked about various things. I asked him a question about what
could we do to help? Is there anything we can do to comfort you or to
comfort your family? What he said is that NASA and the Navy Casualty
Assistance Crews were great. Everything possible was being done for
them. He talked about how NASA had such noble goals, trying to expand
the knowledge of mankind, and said they are the best of mankind.
Doug said his brother David understood that everyone was taking
risks. We talked about how Navy pilots and test pilots over the years
have lost their lives, some trying to land on a pitching aircraft
carrier. He said those folks are heroes as well, and they don't get the
attention these individuals received.
I asked Doug how his recent conversations with David. Doug said that
he recently asked David: Well, what if you don't get back? What should
I say?
He said his brother told him the program must go on. Not in a
careless way, but it needs to move forward. He believed if there was
any error and he couldn't get back, it most likely would be a human
error, but that he would not hold that against whomever it was involved
in that error because he knew everyone was trying to do the best job
they could.
He talked about NASA, about how they cared about, for example,
specifically, one of the culprits or suspected culprits in this
tragedy, which was that piece of foam that hit the left wing.
His brother--and he communicated with him by e-mail when he was up in
space--had actually taken photographs of that wing because they were
concerned about it.
I said: Did those photographs get back?
He said: No, they didn't send those photographs back. But that will
be part of the investigation, at least his oral description of the
situation.
I said: As we are trying to figure this out and trying to learn from
it, what would he say?
He said: Gosh, you have to understand, George--he said George, not
Senator Allen. We are on a friendly basis. He said: You have to
understand my brother David was a football player. He was an offensive
lineman at Yorktown High School. He said: In these sort of things, they
use a football analogy. You don't get stopped dead in your tracks. When
you get tackled, you get up and you keep trying to score.
And Doug, his brother, said they used to make fun of David, that no
one ever paid any attention to an offensive lineman. They were trying
to rub it in. No one knew of his football prowess.
David retorted that no one else had Katie Couric cheering for him
like she did at Yorktown High School.
Today, David, everyone is cheering for you. We are aching for your
wonderful family and your friends. We know the noble mission that you
have been on, and others will be on in the future, will continue as you
desired.
We will reconstruct the facts. We are determined to get up. We are
determined to learn. We will not quit. We will keep fighting. In fact,
we will keep improving, we will keep innovating, and we will keep
advancing.
David Brown was a hero, and these surviving families are heroic
individuals as well. As we go forward, we will learn. But we also will
pray to God that we continue to be blessed, in this country and the
world, with people of such courage and especially people of such great
character.
I would like to yield to the distinguished senior Senator from
Virginia, Mr. Warner.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia is recognized.
Mr. WARNER. Madam President, may I say to my good friend, the junior
Senator, that he delivered his remarks with great empathy and feeling.
I wish to congratulate him. I have come to know him as a man who has
intense feelings for people; and as a former Governor the many times he
had to respond to catastrophes and loss of life in our State, he
certainly has learned how to speak for the families and the survivors,
and to speak with admiration about those who made the sacrifice. I
thank the Senator for the privilege of serving with him.
Mr. ALLEN. I thank the Senator.
Mr. WARNER. Madam President, it is interesting; as the two of us
approached the floor, a reporter paused in a very courteous way to ask
me some questions. He is doing a study on the demographics of the
Senate, and in particular on the number of Senators who have had an
opportunity to serve in uniform. I expressed an opinion that I have
expressed many times to a similar request. I find that, while it has
its advantages, there is certainly no disadvantage to those who have
not had the opportunity to serve in uniform. I think we all learn very
quickly how to address the responsibilities we have with respect to the
men and women of the Armed Forces of the United States.
But in the few steps that I took walking to the Chamber, I say to my
colleague, I did reflect momentarily on two brief periods that I was
privileged to serve in uniform at the very end of World War II when I
did not see combat as did the spouse of the distinguished Presiding
Officer of the Senate, our former colleague, Senator Dole, in no way
have I ever put myself in the category of Senators Dole, Inouye,
Stevens, Hollings, and many others since then who served in Vietnam
with such great distinction on the battlefield. But I did come to know
many of my colleagues. Then I served briefly in the Korean war as a
ground communications officer in the first wing. But I got to know
aviators very well in that capacity. I recall that one of our tentmates
did not return, and also our commanding officer lost his life. I was
part of the detail that went out to retrieve him from a mountainside.
I empathize, as do the other men and women of the Armed Forces, for
the loss of those astronauts who achieved their status through training
in the U.S. military. What a privilege it is for all of us who had the
opportunity to serve, to serve with others, and to share in their
everyday happenings and glory--and sometimes in the status of their
death--that we do here, brothers and sisters in the Senate today.

A number of our colleagues had the opportunity to go down to the
services. I had to remain here. But I join with my colleagues in our
reverent and humble way of expressing our deepest sympathies to the
families, to the survivors, to the fellow enlisted military officers
who served with these individuals throughout their careers, and to the
Nation. The whole Nation is grieving for their deaths.
It is a marvelous thing to see Americans come together from all walks
of life and to join in prayers and in other ways--so often in quiet
ways--to express our feelings over this tragic loss to our Nation, and
indeed to the world, because the world is largely dependent on those
nations that have trained those going into space with particular
missions. We lost the very brave and

[[Page S1857]]

extraordinary military officer from our strong ally, Israel.
While our Nation grieves for the deaths of the seven pioneers in
space, for their friends and families, and for the States those brave
souls called home, we join in mourning with all States in the Union.
And yet we celebrate in a way their entire lives. We in Virginia are
united in our solemn remembrance of one of those astronauts, CPT David
Brown, whose parents, Dorothy and Paul, live in Washington, VA. My
distinguished colleague spoke of his wonderful conversation with his
brother today.
In the United States of America, we are a nation of pioneers--blazing
trails from the 16th and 17th centuries to build ourselves a new
nation, venturing west in the 18th and 19th centuries to fulfill our
manifest destiny; and today in the 20th and 21st centuries leaving the
outer bounds of our own atmosphere to learn more about this planet and
others, and to share that knowledge with the world.
Shuttle launches and landings have become routine over the last
several decades, yielding a false sense of security. We now recognize
how false it is--for we are shaken to our very core.
Brilliant were the remarks delivered today by our President--and
those who gathered with him at the memorial service. President Bush is
well known to my colleague as a fellow Governor. They served together.
How often the Senator from Virginia told me about the moments they
shared when both of them were Governors. But he--not unlike my dear
friend, the Senator from Virginia--has a remarkable way to step into a
period of mourning and bring strength to the families who remain, and
to the Nation. I certainly commend our President.
Over 100 times our brave astronauts have challenged the laws of
gravity--I love that phrase; I wrote it myself--the laws of gravity
propelling themselves, their shuttles, and their payloads hundreds of
miles from the Earth's surface. Their work has yielded a great deal of
scientific advancement--especially medical advances--credited with
enhancing the quality of life not only of ourselves but, indeed, the
world.
Space research, technology, and exploration are major contributors to
enhancing our national security, to improving our standard of living,
and broadening our scientific knowledge--and to carry on the pioneering
traditions of our Nation. NASA has been the driving force for these
many accomplishments.
May I say the current Administrator of NASA is a member of our Senate
family. In many ways, he worked with this institution. He went on to
become Secretary of the Navy, an office that I was once privileged to
hold. Our thoughts and prayers are with him. I think thus far he has
shown strong leadership in addressing this tragedy, proceeding
immediately to try to unearth the facts and to procure the knowledge
from all sources, wherever they may be, to try to find the answers for
this tragedy.

We are a nation of risk-takers. But with exploration comes inherent
risks. We have continually tempted fate through superior science and
with the most talented men and women in their fields--astronauts who
are the best and the brightest--those who fulfill their dreams and, I
think more importantly, who have instilled in generations of young
people their commitments and their dreams to perhaps become astronauts
or dreams to perhaps one day wear the uniforms of the Army, the Navy,
the Marine Corps, the Coast Guard, and the Air Force.
Last night I was privileged to attend a public meeting of the Council
on Foreign Relations and of the four members of the chiefs of the
services and/or their designated persons, who spoke brilliantly. In the
cross questions, they addressed their pride in those men in uniform who
achieved the status of astronaut--most particularly, at least two of
them knew personally two of those who were lost on this mission.
I was so proud of the way they spoke and talked with resolve as to
how we press on in space, and how generations upon generations will be
coming behind to take their places, not unlike the men and women of the
Armed Forces who throughout the world today are standing watch over our
freedom, most particularly in the stressful situations of the Korean
Peninsula and, indeed, the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan. How proud we
are of the men and women of the Armed Forces.
The Columbia crew trained for their mission for years and in an
instant our Nation has lost seven brave brothers and sisters;
Commander Rick Douglas Husband, U.S. Air Force Colonel, father of one
daughter and one son; hometown, Amarillo, TX;
Pilot William C. McCool, U.S. Navy Commander, father of three sons;
hometown, San Diego, CA:
Kalpana Chawla, Ph.D. in aerospace engineering, hometown Karnau,
India;
Michael P. Anderson, lieutenant colonel, U.S. Air Force, father of
two daughters; hometown, Spokane, WA;
Laurel Blair Salton Clark, commander, U.S. Navy, mother of one son;
hometown, Racine, WI;
Ilan Ramon, colonel, Isreli Air Force;
And David M. Brown, captain, U.S. Navy; hometown, Washington, VA.
I am proud to stand here today on behalf of all Virginians to honor
his memory and celebrate his life.
How proud Virginia, his parents, his friends, and his family are of
this distinguished man: CPT David Brown. In his last words from space,
CPT Brown wrote an e-mail to his parents in Virginia. My colleague
referred to an e-mail he wrote to his brother. This is an e-mail he
wrote to his parents:

If I'd been born in space, I would desire to visit the
beautiful Earth more than I ever yearned to visit space. It's
a wonderful planet.

Quiet, confident, heroic, adventuresome, dedicated to the welfare of
others, and always seeing the best in our world: CPT Brown.
My colleague enumerated the details of his family and his education,
but I do wish to recount one story. His parents were not surprised by
his choice. Paul and Dorothy Brown watched their son grow up in the
Westover section of Arlington with a clear sense of adventure. He flew
with a friend in a small plane at age 7. And while at William and Mary,
he worked two jobs just to gain the dollars for his flying lessons.
In a speech to students last September, CPT Brown predicted that at
some point a shuttle flight would end with the loss of crew and
aircraft. But he encouraged the young people to have ``a big vision,
accept the risks and be persistent in pursuit of [your] goals.''
Last Christmas, CPT Brown had a conversation with his brother Doug,
who asked what would happen if something went wrong in space. He simply
said: ``Well, this program will go on.'' And the remainder of that
conversation my dear colleague put in the Record.
We are a nation of patriots. Not only must we remember these brave
men and women of the Columbia, but all men, all women in uniform, who
protect this great Nation. And I suppose since 9/11 each of you in this
Chamber, like I, stop quietly when you see the uniform of a fireman, a
policeman, or a medical worker, or those who form the vast
infrastructure in this country and take risks day and night so we can
enjoy the highest quality of life of any nation in this world.
I say to our Armed Forces on deployment around the world, who have
been dispatched for the cause of protecting freedom, and to our police
and firefighters, you are in our thoughts and in our prayers every day.
Ours is a grateful Nation for the risks you and your families--and I
underline families--take.
Today we must mourn our loss: the crew of the Columbia. Tomorrow we
will continue their work. I emphasize that. Our President said that.
Tomorrow we will continue their work, their search for knowledge, and
their exploration of new frontiers.
We will remember them with reverence, just as we remember the
settlers at Jamestown in 1607, and the expedition of Lewis and Clark in
1803. We will remember them, just as we remember our lost soldiers,
sailors, and airmen, who have given their lives--generations of lives--
to protect our freedoms. And we will remember them, just as we will
remember the others who have fallen in space, who dared to dance among
the stars. We remember them.
I yield the floor.
Mr. ALLEN. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Alexander). The clerk will call the roll.

[[Page S1858]]

The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. ALLEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. ALLEN. Mr. President, before the minority assistant leader
arrives and I do final closing business, I want to commend the senior
Senator from Virginia, my mentor, my ally, my good friend, for his
outstanding statements, and for his experiences throughout his life--in
many wars, in many tragedies--and through it all with his experience,
as he always has the right things to say. He crafts those words
himself. And he is proud of them.
He is an artist. He is an artist not only on canvas but also an
artist with the gift of language, of sentiments, and of love and care
for his fellow human beings. And he has been a hero himself, in many
wars--in time of war and in time of peace--a leader in the civilian
sector, and one who I, every single day, in every single moment that I
am with him, learn something good and beneficial to improve myself.
So I thank my colleague, my dear friend, Senator Warner, for those
wonderful remarks that I think mean a great deal to the family of
Captain Brown and to all the families, but also to the spirit of
innovation, of that gung-ho spirit as far as the military is concerned,
but also understanding the historic nature from the very beginnings of
the cradle of liberty in Jamestown, on through the Lewis and Clark
expeditions, and others throughout mankind.
He is really a wonderful Virginia gentleman. Some call him ``The
Squire.'' I call him a living hero. I thank the Senator for his
comments.
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I thank my colleague. I am deeply moved. A
hero I am not, my dear fellow. I served twice in active duty for brief
periods, and I benefited greatly in that service.
I try today, as chairman of the Armed Services Committee, to return
to the men and women of the Armed Forces more than what I received by
way of training and other benefits from serving in the military. My
tours of active duty are inconsequential compared to the glorious
careers of the persons who we honor today and, indeed, all others
really that I have served with and see on the far-flung battlefields of
the world as I travel through their posts, and will do soon again, to
do what I can to benefit their lives, their welfare, their safety, and
that of their families.
Mr. WARNER. But I think, my dear friend, we should note that we have
present in the Chamber today the visiting Chaplain who comes from the
State of Virginia. I think it is a matter of consequence that he is
here today in the time that you and I speak. And he, too, expresses, as
he did in the opening prayer, what is in his heart today, as he is in
this Chamber, participating and listening to our speeches. So we are
fortunate. We thank the guest Chaplain.
Mr. ALLEN. Mr. President, I share my colleague's comments in relation
to the guest Chaplain, Dr. William Carl. It is a pleasure for us all he
is here.
Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I often speak about the many
inspirational or impressive feats accomplished by South Dakotans. I am
particularly pleased by the thousands of men and women from South
Dakota who serve our Nation in one of the Armed Forces. But today, I
want to call attention to someone who has risen above and beyond most
others. I'm speaking of CDR Charles J. ``Jerry'' Logan of the U.S.
Navy.
Commander Logan was born in De Smet, SD. He also lived in Leola and
Belle Fourche, SD. The commander is a graduate of Belle Fourche High
School and the South Dakota School of Mines in Rapid City. He is the
only son of Charles and Margaret Logan's eight children. Most of the
Logan family continues to reside in South Dakota. The commander is
married to Teresa Logan, the daughter of Norman, who also served in the
Navy, and Gay Jacobs.
Last November Commander Logan was bestowed the special honor of
taking command of the USS Bremerton. This is his first command post.
The Bremerton is one of several nuclear attack submarines assigned to
the Pacific Fleet. Command of a nuclear submarine is obviously and
enormous responsibility. Only a select few are ever charged with such a
task.
Commander Logan took command of the Bremerton at a Change of Command
ceremony in San Diego. Over 100 friends and relatives attended, and I
am pleased to say many came from South Dakota--including Commander
Logan's parents, all seven of his sisters, and many other relatives. I
understand the presiding officer at the ceremony, Captain McAneny, was
quite moved by the large contingent from South Dakota who traveled to
show their support for Commander Logan.
I can certainly understand why the entire Logan and Jacobs families
are proud of Commander Logan. I, too am proud of Jerry Logan, as I am
proud of all those from South Dakota and throughout the Nation who are
serving their country in the Armed Forces.
Mr. DODD. Mr. President, today I join the Nation in grieving the
tragic loss of the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia, which went down
during its return to Earth after 16 days in space.
My heart especially goes out to the families of the seven astronauts
on board the Columbia; Rick Husband, the mission commander, William
McCool, the shuttle pilot, and the five crew-members, David Brown,
Michael Anderson, Laurel Clark, Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon.
Ever since President Kennedy announced, on May 25, 1961, that the
United States land an American safely on the Moon by the end of the
1960s, our Nation has been committed to reaching for the stars.
President Kennedy said, ``We choose to go to the moon . . . not
because [it is] easy, but because [it is] hard.''
Thus begun America's space program, a program which has compelled
some our Nation's brightest and bravest souls to risk their lives in
the name of progress; to travel into the frontiers of space in order to
advance human life here on Earth.
The space program has seen its share of tragedy. In the prespace
travel days of 1950s, daredevil pilots, such as form Senator John
Glenn, risked it all to help us develop jet engine and rocket
propulsion technologies, and to learn about the outer-reachers of our
stratosphere. Dozens died in the process. They sacrificed their lives
to make the space program possible.
Many of us are old enough to remember January 27, 1967, the day
Apollo 1 exploded during a launch-pad test, killing all three
astronauts on board, Virgil Grissom, Edward White, and Roger Chaffee. I
personally remember the numbness I felt when hearing the news, and
later watching the tragedy replayed on television.
But the space program went forward; 18 months later, on July 20,
1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took man's first steps on the
Moon.
All of a sudden, our boundaries seemed limitless.
In 1982, the space shuttle program became operational, and trips to
space began seeming commonplace.
But once again, on January 28, 1986, our Nation mourned the loss of
shuttle astronauts Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald
McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe, who
were lost the Challenger shuttle exploded during take-off.
President Reagan's words spoke for an entire Nation when he said:
``We've grown used to the idea space, and perhaps we forget that we've
only just begun. We are still pioneers.''
With those words, the space shuttle program went forward, and there
have been dozens of shuttle launches over the past 15 years, reaping
untold rewards for humanity in terms of increasing our understanding of
physics, biology, and of the physical universe in which we live.
Now we are in the shadow of another tragedy. Some are questioning
whether or not manned space flights ought to continue. Some say risks
to the lives of the astronauts outweigh the gains we can make in terms
of scientific progress.
I say we listen to the families of those lost on Space Shuttle
Columbia. They are united in their feelings that their loved ones died
doing what they loved most, that these heroes understood the risks, but
were undeterred because they also understood the potential for gain.

[[Page S1859]]

These families are united in their belief that the space program must
go on.
I believe that if it does not, than the lives of these seven
astronauts would have been lost in vain.
Tragedies like these are a direct result of America's restless desire
for progress, to go further, fly faster, learn more, and advance.
Robert Kennedy once said: ``It is from acts of courage that human
history is shaped.''
These seven brave astronauts knew the risks. They were not deterred.
They were emboldened. They gave their lives that humanity could take
yet another leap forward into the vast unknown of future knowledge.
They are, and always will be, national heroes.
Reading through articles from Sunday's New York Times, I could not
help but be struck by the diversity of the crew. Once upon a time, all
NASA astronauts were white men from the military. But over the past few
decades, NASA has been recruiting astronauts based on their skills,
their excellence, and of course, their courage and commitment. That has
meant a more diverse astronaut pool.
The crew of the Columbia were a wonderful example of this diversity,
men and women, black and white, immigrant and native-born, as well as a
crew-member from Israel, Ilan Ramon.
The crew of the Columbia offer us a reminder that there are not
boundaries in space, and that humans are one race.
Together, we will overcome this tragedy. And together, we will
continue to look toward the stars and beyond.
I ask unanimous consent to print in the Record seven articles from
Sunday's New York Times, each of which offers insights into the lives
and personal accomplishments of each of the astronauts lost in
Saturday's tragedy.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:

[From the New York Times, Feb. 2, 2003]

Loss of the Shuttle: The Astronauts; the Columbia Space Shuttle's Crew
of 6 Americans and 1 Israeli

(By Pam Belluck)

Seven astronauts, six Americans and an Israeli, died aboard
the shuttle Columbia yesterday. Of the crew of five men and
two women, four had never flown in space before.

Col. Rick D. Husband--a Lifelong Dream of Being an Astronaut

It took Rick D. Husband four tries to convince NASA to let
him become an astronaut. The 45-year-old Air Force colonel
from Amarillo, Tex., had yearned to fly in outer space since
he was a child. ``It's been pretty much a lifelong dream and
just a thrill to be able to get to actually live it,''
Colonel Husband told The Associated Press just before the
Jan. 16 launching of the space shuttle Columbia.
Finally, Colonel Husband, a former test pilot who learned
to fly when he was 18 and had more than 3,800 hours of flight
time in more than 40 types of aircraft, was chosen for the
NASA space program in 1994.
But it would take five more years of training and
preparation before he would ride his first rocket into space.
During that 10-day mission in 1999, Colonel Husband was the
pilot of the space shuttle Discovery in the first mission by
a shuttle crew to dock with the international space station.
After that he became chief of safety for NASA's astronaut
office, and despite having only one space flight under his
belt Colonel Husband was chosen to be the commander of the
Columbia mission.
His mother, Jane Husband, said he prepared intensely,
capitalizing on every minute, even an unexpected six-month
delay when repairs forced the shuttle to be grounded last
July.
``At Christmas, he was still studying, and I said, `Oh,
gosh,' '' Mrs. Husband told the Ledger of Lakeland, Fla.,
just after the launching of the shuttle. ``He said, `I have
to make sure everything is in my head perfect.' They're all
like that. They have to be mentally prepared.''
Greg Ojakangas, a NASA consultant and professor of physics
at Drury University in Springfield, MO., because friendly
with Colonel Husband during the 1994 NASA selection process,
when Dr. Ojakangas was not picked to be an astronaut.
``He finally made it,'' Dr. Ojakangas said. ``It was a tale
of perseverance.''
Dr. Ojakangas said Colonel Husband was a religious man
devoted to his family, whose only regret about joining the
space program was that it kept him so busy.
``When I asked him how he was liking it,'' Dr. Ojakangas
said, ``I remember him talking about how he wished he has
more time at home.''
Colonel Husband, had a wife, Evelyn; a daughter, Laura, 8;
and a son, Matthew, 3. A baritone who sang in a barbershop
quartet while in school, Colonel Husband still sang in church
choirs. And he loved water skiing and biking.
Colonel Husband's mother and uncle watched the shuttle
launching in Florida last month, feeling some of the
astronaut's excitement as the spacecraft took off.
``It was almost as if the creator arranged it,'' his uncle,
George Drank, told The Ledger. ``The flood lights were on the
shuttle. Then the sun started coming over the horizon. As it
ascended into heaven, the sun was behind it, and it made a
big dark streak across the sky. I looked back at his mother
and brother and tears were streaming.''
Evelyn Husband said: ``I wasn't nervous about what he was
doing because he worked so long and hard for it. But when
that started lifting off, Mama started crying. It's different
when your son is on it.''
When asked before the flight about being selected mission
commander while being relatively new to the space program,
Colonel Husband seemed modest and poised.
``I think,'' he said, ``a lot of it has to do with being at
the right place at the right time, for starters.''
____

[From the New York Times Feb. 2, 2003]

Loss of the Shuttle: The Astronauts; the Columbia Space Shuttle's Crew
of 6 Americans and 1 Israeli

(By Jodi Wilgoren)

Seven astronauts, six Americans and an Israeli, died aboard
the shuttle Columbia yesterday. Of the crew of five men and
two women, four had never flown in space before.

Dr. Laurel Salton Clark--After Sea and Sky, moving On to Space

Laurel Salton Clark had conquered the sea, diving with the
Navy Seals and conducting medical evacuations from submarines
off Scotland. She had penetrated the air as a flight surgeon
aboard the Marine Attack Squadron of the Year. Space was the
logical next frontier.
``She was never one of these people to say, `O.K., I found
what I want to do,' it was always `What the next challenge?'
'' said Dr. Clark's younger brother, Daniel Salton. ``She was
one of these people who just had goals, just saw the goal,
the end result, and knew how much work it would take to get
there and was willing to do it.''
Dr. Clark, 41, a Navy commander who was one of two women
among the seven astronauts aboard the space shuttle Columbia,
was always scuba diving or mountain biking, hiking or rock
climbing or parachuting. She grew up in Racine, Wisc., the
eldest of four children, married a fellow Navy officer,
Jonathan Clark, who later joined her in working at NASA, and
had an 8-year-old son, Iain.
In an e-mail message sent from the space shuttle a few days
ago, Dr. Clark marveled at the view of Wind Point, a
peninsula jutting into Lake Michigan a few miles from her
childhood home, and wondered whether the photographs she had
taken would turn out.
``Hello from above our magnificent planet earth,'' Dr.
Clark wrote to a group of close friends and relatives. ``The
perspective is truly awe-inspiring. Even the stars have a
special brightness. I have seen my `friend' Orion several
times.
An animal lover who was always the child to sleep with the
family cat, Laurel Blair Salton graduated from Racine's
William Horlick High School in 1979 and majored in zoology at
the University of Wisconsin, in Madison, intending to be a
veterinarian. Instead, she attended the university's medical
school, where she was part of a tight-knit group of six
friends who saved up their vacation time and spent the last
three weeks before graduation in 1987 sailing a 42-foot boat
through the British Virgin Islands.
After nearly a decade in the Navy, with postings in
Pensacola, Fla, Holy Loch, Scotland, and Yuma, Ariz, a friend
suggested that Dr. Clark take the NASA test. Like many
others, she was not accepted on the first round. She later
became part of a class known as the Sardines, because it had
more than 40 astronaut candidates, the most in history, Ms.
Salton said.
At NASA, Dr. Clark was nicknamed ``Floral, ``because of the
vibrant colors that she wore when not in uniform.
Mr. Salton said he never worried about the safety of the
shuttle--until two weeks ago when he joined his mother,
siblings and several of Dr. Clark's friends at the launching.
``I was just an emotional wreck when she was in space, when
you actually see that rocket group,'' he recalled. ``Visions
of the Challenger go through your head and you pray that its
not going to happen. Once they're up in space, big sigh of
relief, O.K. the dangerous part is over. I never ever
considered that something could happen on the way down.''
While in space, Dr. Clark was part of several life-science
experiments. In an interview from space published on Friday
in The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, she spoke of watching the
sunsets.
``There's a flash--the whole payload bay turns this rosy
pink,'' she said. ``It only lasts about 15 seconds and then
it's gone. It's very ethereal and extremely beautiful.''
Always a lover of her Scottish heritage, Dr. Clark had
chosen as her wake-up song aboard the shuttle a bagpipe
version of ``Amazing Grace,'' similar to one played at her
wedding.
It will also be played at her funeral.

[[Page S1860]]

____
[From the New York Times, Feb. 2, 2003]

Loss of the Shuttle: The Astronauts; the Columbia Space Shuttle's Crew
of 6 Americans and 1 Israeli

(By Warren E. Leary)

Seven astronauts, six Americans and an Israeli, died aboard
the shuttle Columbia yesterday. Of the crew of five men and
two women, four had never flown in space before.

col. ilan ramon--pilot embraced role as a symbol for jews

Col. Ilan Ramon was a soft-spoken combat pilot conscious of
the importance of symbols and history, and the role he played
in both. In the days and weeks leading to the Columbia's
mission, and as the shuttle carried out its 16 days of
science experiments, much of the attention focused on Colonel
Ramon.
The son and grandson of Holocaust survivors, Colonel Ramon,
48, was the first citizen of his country to go into space.
The accomplishment, he said in an interview in mid-January,
was not his alone.
``Every time you are the first, it is meaningful,'' he
said. ``I am told my flight is meaningful to a lot of Jewish
people around the world. Being the first Israeli astronaut, I
feel I am representing all Jews and all Israelis.''
On the shuttle, where he presided over an Israeli project
to collect images of dust storms to gauge their impact on
climate, Colonel Ramon carried a special keepsake.
It was a small Torah scroll used at the bar mitzvah of the
project's principal investigator, Dr. Joachim Joseph, almost
60 years ago while he was in a Nazi concentration camp. The
elderly rabbi performing the ceremony, who died soon
afterward in the camp, gave the Torah to the boy and told him
to tell people what had happened there.
Dr. Joseph said Colonel Ramon saw the Torah when visiting
his home and was so moved by the story that he asked to take
it into space as a tribute.
Before the launching, most of the attention paid to the
mission centered on security and efforts to keep the shuttle
and its crew safe from any terrorist attack. Officials at
NASA acknowledged that the presence of an Israeli astronaut
had only intensified the heightened security they had imposed
since Sept. 11, 2001.
But Colonel Ramon and his crewmates said they were not
unduly concerned about their safety, and they concentrated on
keeping up their training for their much-delayed research
mission, Colonel Ramon, who spent more than four years
preparing for the flight, saw it repeatedly postponed by
higher-priority missions and problems that periodically
grounded the shuttle fleet.
``I have a lot of patience,'' he said with a smile before
the launching, ``but now I'm ready to go.''
Ilan Ramon was born on June 20, 1954, in a Tel Aviv suburb
and, after graduating from high school in 1972, attended the
Israel Air force Flight School. He became a fighter pilot and
logged more than 4,000 hours in various combat aircraft. He
fought in the Yom Kippur war of 1973 and in the Lebanon
conflict in 1982.
He received a bachelor of science degree in electronics and
computer engineering from the University of Tel Aviv in 1987,
and in 1994 was promoted to colonel and assigned to head the
air force's weapons development and acquisition division.
Colonel Ramon was selected as an astronaut candidate in
1997 as a result of a science agreement two years earlier
between President Bill Clinton and Shimon Peres, then the
Israeli foreign minister. He and his wife, Rona, moved to
Houston in 1998 so he could begin training at the Johnson
Space Center. He is also survived by four children ages 6 to
14.
____

[From the New York Times, Feb. 2, 2003]

Loss of the Shuttle: The Astronauts; the Columbia Space Shuttle's Crew
of 6 Americans and 1 Israeli

(By Lydia Polgreen)

Seven astronauts, six Americans and an Israeli, died aboard
the shuttle Columbia yesterday. Of the crew of five men and
two women, four had never flown in space before.

Dr. Kalpana Chawla--Quiet and Modest, But Also Determined

Nearly everyone who walks into Don Seath's classroom has at
least toyed with the thought of becoming an astronaut. Mr.
Seath, who has taught aerodynamics at the University of Texas
of Arlington since 1965, would be hard pressed to think of a
student who on first meeting seemed less likely to go into
space than Kalpana Chawla. It was not that she lacked
brilliance. ``She was a very good student, quite excellent,''
Mr. Seath said in a telephone interview. ``She was in my
aerodynamics class, and she performed exceedingly well. She
was very bright.''
What she did not have was the brash attitude most aspiring
astronauts displayed.
``She was quiet and modest,'' Mr. Seath said. ``When I
heard she had been accepted into the program to become a
astronaut I was thrilled but also surprised.'' She just did
not seem to fit the type, he said.
But Dr. Chawla, 41, never lacked determination, those who
knew her said. From her childhood in Karnal, a small-town
about 80 miles north of New Delhi, she nursed a lifelong
dream to go into space. She early on set her sights on an
American education that would take her up into the air.
``I was interested in aerospace and flying, and the U.S. is
really the best place in the world for flying,'' she told the
University of Texas at Arlington magazine in 1998.
Dr. Chawla was a brilliant student, always in the top five
of her class, those who knew her said. After getting an
engineering degree from Punjab Engineering College in 1982,
she moved to the United States, where she attended the
University of Texas at Arlington, then got a doctorate in
aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado. Along
the way she became a citizen of the United States.
In 1994, NASA selected her and 19 other people from a group
of 4,000 other applicants to its astronaut program. On Nov.
19, 1997, she became the first Indian-born woman in space.
She was assigned to the shuttle Columbia as a mission
specialist and prime robotic arm operator.
The flight was not without mishaps. As robotic arm operator
she was unable to retrieve the 3,000 pound Spartan satellite,
which spun away after the shuttle released it, and astronauts
had to go out on a space walk three days later to retrieve
it. The mistake shook her confidence, and she feared her
space career was over. But her concern was misplaced.
``Some of the senior people, the very senior astronauts,
shook my hand and said, `K.C., you did a great job. Don't let
anyone tell you different,' ``Dr. Chawla told the University
of Texas at Arlington Magazine. A NASA inquiry later
determined that the shuttle crew had made a series of errors
that caused the satellite to malfunction.
In New Delhi, relatives of Dr. Chawla gathered to hear news
and mourn together.
``Whenever you are involved in such tasks, one should be
prepared for such things,'' said Anjay Chawla, Dr. Chawla's
brother, his voice choking as he spoke to reporters. ``If it
could happen to others it could happen to you as well. This
time it happened to us.''
R. S. Bhatia, head of the Washington office of the Indian
Space Research Organization, India's answer to NASA, said Dr.
Chawla had become a symbol of India's greatness, even though
she was no longer a citizen.
``After her first flight, she became a national hero,'' Mr.
Bhatia said. ``She is an American citizen, but she is ours
too. This is the most terrible tragedy. We have lost a
hero.''
____

[From the New York Times, Feb. 2, 2003]

Loss of the Shuttle: The Astronauts; the Columbia Space Shuttle's Crew
of 6 Americans and 1 Israeli

(By Jeffrey Gettleman)

Seven astronauts, six Americans and an Israeli, died aboard
the shuttle Columbia yesterday. Of the crew of five men and
two women, four had never flown in space before.

capt. david m. brown--a circus performer and a top aviator

Trapeze artist. Stilt walker. Test pilot. David M. Brown
had a special blend of the right stuff. And a bucket of
humility to go along with it.
``He was one of those guys who filled all the squares to be
where he was,'' said Bob Ryan, another pilot-doctor who knew
Dr. Brown from a flight surgeons' organization. ``But he was
quiet about it. You'd never hear Dave beating his own drum.''
Dr. Brown, 46, grew up in Arlington, Va. He was a star
gymnast on the parallel bars at Yorktown High School and went
on to earn a letter at William and Mary. He also joined the
circus, performing as an acrobat, unicyclist and stilt
walker, all the while earning top marks in biology.
Dr. Brown, a 46-year-old doctor who died about the space
shuttle Columbia yesterday, began his gravity defying days in
Arlington, VA., where he starred on the Yorktown High School
gymnastics team. He went on to join the circus while studying
biology at the College of William and Mary. He was an
acrobat, unicyclist and stilt walker.
``I always let him dream,'' said his mother, Dot.
He attended Eastern Virginia Medical School and signed up
with the Navy afterwards.
He was sent to a military hospital in Alaska, and then
served on an aircraft carrier. In 1988, Dr. Brown was
selected for pilot training, a rarity for Navy doctors. He
graduated No. 1 in his naval aviation class.
He flew F-18 Hornet jet fighters, A-6E Intruder aircraft
and the high performance T-38 Talon, known as the white
rocket. He joined the Navy test pilot school in 1995 and was
chosen for the astronaut program the next year. It was his
third try. His credentials in biology and medicine helped
land him a spot on the Columbia mission, which focused on
scientific research.
Dr. Brown was hooked on space, friends said. He had a
telescope in his living room, aimed at the moon. Some nights,
he would jump in his single-engine plane and fly the 50 miles
from Houston, where he lived, to Galveston to attend
astronomy club meetings.
``As we were flying through the night, Dave would point out
all the stars and nebula,'' said Dwight Holland, an Air Force
pilot and friend. ``He loved it.''
Solidly built with wholesome looks, Dr. Brown had never
been married. His closest companion was his 14-year-old dog,
Duggins, who died two days before the shuttle lifted off.
His parents live on a mountaintop in rural Virginia.
Yesterday, they shared the last e-mail they received from
him.
``My most moving moment was reading a letter that Ilan
Ramon brought from a Holocaust survivor whose seven-year-old
daughter died,'' Dr. Brown wrote. ``I was stunned

[[Page S1861]]

such a beautiful planet could harbor such bad things.''
____

[From the New York Times, Feb. 2, 2003]

Loss of the Shuttle: The Astronauts; the Columbia Space Shuttle's Crew
of 6 Americans and 1 Israeli

(By Timothy Egan)

Seven astronauts, six Americans and an Israeli, died aboard
the shuttle Columbia yesterday. Of the crew of five men and
two women, four had never flown in space before.

Lt. Col. Michael P. Anderson--A Source of Hope For Children

Whenever Happy Watkins wanted to inspire black children in
Spokane, an overwhelmingly white city in eastern Washington,
he would reach into his wallet and pull out an autographed
picture of Lt. Col. Michael P. Anderson of the Air Force, the
black astronaut who grew up in their town and died on the
space shuttle Columbia today. ``These kids, some of them have
no hope, and their eyes would light up when they saw this
picture,'' said Mr. Watkins, who taught young Michael
Anderson in the Sunday school at Morning Star Baptist Church
in Spokane.
``This picture said it all--he's black, he's an astronaut--
it was a huge motivator,'' Mr. Watkins said in an interview.
Born on Christmas Day 1959 in Plattsburgh, N.Y., the son of
an Air Force serviceman, Colonel Anderson dreamed of the
cosmos, and space flight, from the time he was a boy and got
his first toy airplane at age 3.
He was a fan of Star Trek, and early on, he memorized the
names of most of the American astronauts. He watched the Moon
landing when he was a 9-year-old, and the excitement never
left him, he said later.
He never doubted he would be an astronaut. ``I can't
remember ever thinking that I couldn't do it,'' Colonel
Anderson said in an interview with the University of
Washington alumni newsletter in 1998. ``I never had any
serious doubts about it. It was just a matter of when.''
But on the eve of his last flight, Colonel Anderson did
talk about the risk of space flight.
``There's always that unknown,'' he said to reporters just
before the Columbia lifted off on Jan. 16.
Colonel Anderson's parents, Bobbie and Barbara Anderson,
live in Spokane. The family moved to the area about 30 years
ago, friends said, because Bobbie Anderson was assigned to
the Fairchild Air Force Base about 25 miles from Spokane.
Michael Anderson went to school in Cheney, a farm town next
to the base.
Today, inside Cheney High School is a plaque and picture of
Colonel Anderson, the astronaut who never wavered in his
dreams.
``Michael's always been an amazingly strong, focused guy,''
said the Rev. Freeman Simon, who has known the family for
about 25 years, and attended the same church with them. ``He
is strange in one respect: he was the guy who always seemed
to know what he wanted, and could translate his thinking into
action.''
After Cheney High School, Colonel Anderson got a bachelor
of science degree in physics and astronomy at the University
of Washington, in Seattle. He earned a master's degree in
physics in 1990 at Creighton University.
In 1994, while stationed at Plattsburgh Air Force Base, he
was chosen for the space shuttle program, one of 19
candidates selected that year from among 2,962 applicants.
He was on the Shuttle-Mir docking mission in 1998, when the
crew transferred more than 9,000 pounds of scientific
equipment and other hardware from the Endeavour to the Mir.
He was married to the former Sandra Lynn Hawkins.
While Colonel Anderson was a role model in Spokane as one
of the few black astronauts, he would have stood out even if
he had never gone to space, friends said.
``If you know what the character of an eagle is like, that
is Michael Anderson,'' said Mr. Freeman. ``He was an eagle
among chickens.''
____

[From the New York Times, Feb. 2, 2003]

Loss of the Shuttle: The Astronauts; the Columbia Space Shuttle's Crew
of 6 Americans and 1 Israeli

(By Alan Feuer)

Seven astronauts, six Americans and an Israeli, died aboard
the shuttle Columbia yesterday. Of the crew of five men and
two women, four had never flown in space before.
Cmdr. William C. McCool: Carrying a Memento Of Home on
Mission
When Cmdr. William C. McCool of the Navy, the pilot of the
space shuttle Columbia, took off on Jan. 16, he carried a
piece of his hometown with him: a spirit towel for the
Coronado Mustangs, his high school football team in Lubbock,
Tex. Commander McCool, 41, had always been a football fan. He
told The Associated Press in an interview that he was rooting
for the Oakland Raiders in last Sunday's Super Bowl, having
grown up in San Diego.
He was an athlete--a runner, swimmer and a back-country
camper--and played the guitar and chess. He was even known to
play chess via e-mail with crew members of the international
space station.
He was also something of a cutup, those who knew him said.
``Willie had one of the best senses of humor of any kid
you'd ever seen,'' said Ed Jarman, who taught Commander
McCool's high school chemistry class. ``He could rig up the
most comical ways of explaining scientific principles.''
Mr. Jarman said Commander McCool was highly dependable.
``If I needed trash picked up on the school grounds, I'd make
him a committee of one.''
He had always been interested in joining in the Navy, Mr.
Jarman said; his father was a chief petty officer in the
Navy.
Commander McCool graduated second in his 1983 class at the
Naval Academy, where he ran with the cross-country track
team.
The commander of his mission, Rick D. Husband, was also
from Lubbock, and the town was in mourning yesterday.
The Columbia mission was Commander McCool's first trip into
space. He was an experienced test pilot, one of the Navy's
elite airmen, and had logged more than 2,800 flight hours.
Commander McCool was chosen by NASA for its astronaut
program in 1996 and completed two years of training. He was
scheduled for a shuttle mission in June 2001, but it was
delayed.
Asked then by The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal if the
scratched mission troubled him, he was optimistic.
``From a rookie point of view, the delays are probably
good,'' he said. ``I feel like going through the training
flow essentially a second time a little less like a rookie
and a little bit more like a veteran.''
In the same interview he said one of the hardest parts of
his mission would be working on a split-duty around-the-clock
schedule: half of the shuttle crew members worked, while the
other half slept.
``I think it's going to be very difficult,'' he said.
``That's why we're focusing now in advance on doing
everything very efficiently on time. We hope we can do
whatever measures are necessary to get us into bed.''
Commander McCool was married and had three sons.

Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, America and the world watched with equal
measures of shock and sadness on the morning of February 1, as the
Shuttle Columbia was lost and seven heroes perished in the skies over
Texas.
At this most somber of times, we pray for the souls of the seven
astronauts, as well as the families of those who gave their lives to
advance humankind. We also extend our most profound sympathies to all
Israelis as they mourn their fallen countryman, the first Israeli
astronaut. Their boundless joy has turned to the deepest sorrow, and we
share in their terrible loss.
Today, we remember Rick D. Husband, commander; William C. McCool,
pilot; Michael P. Anderson, payload commander; David M. Brown, mission
specialist; Kalpana Chawla, mission specialist; Laura Blair Salton
Clark, mission specialist; and Ilan Ramon, payload specialist. Their
names are no longer of the pedestrian Earth, they now belong to the
ages, forever etched in the halls of history.
We can scarcely comprehend the dangers which they accepted daily as
the price for making a difference in the world. For most of us, we
could not imagine a life so punctuated by peril. For them, they could
not imagine life in any other form, and it is we who are the
beneficiaries of their courage.
For those who exist on the vanguard of human endeavor, we reserve our
highest regard and greatest respect. For it is they who set new
standards by challenging old limits. It is they who embrace the
ultimate risk in exchange for mapping the realm of possibility. We can
no more place ourselves in their minds and hearts than we can imagine
what it is like to stand on a street corner in a city we have never
seen. We occupy a different space in the world. But we know and can
appreciate the fruits of their extraordinary labor, and that is
probably all they would ever ask of us.
The Space Shuttle Columbia, on mission STS-107, was dedicated to
research in the space, life, and physical sciences. The seven
astronauts worked around the clock, for 16 days, to carry out studies
in the areas of astronaut health and safety, advanced technology
development, and Earth and space sciences. It is true they carried with
them experiments designed to expand the store of human knowledge. But
they also carried with them the pride of the United States and Israel,
and the hopes of the people of our two great nations for a brighter and
better tomorrow.
Our hearts are now heavy, but our pride and our hope are not
diminished, far from it. Indeed, the spirit represented by Columbia
cannot be vanquished by such crude and earthly instruments as physics
or fire. Rather, the spirit embodied by her and her

[[Page S1862]]

crew is of a higher, infinitely more durable plane, where the finest of
human ideals and pursuits never die, but only grow stronger with the
passing of the days.
In moving forward, we must now ascertain what went wrong, and take
every conceivable step to ensure it is never repeated for the sake of
those who, in the years ahead, will once more ride into the breach of
space. As President Bush has said, ``The cause in which they died will
continue. Mankind is led into the darkness beyond our world by the
inspiration of discovery and the longing to understand. Our journey
into space will go on.'' Perhaps that is best way for us to honor the
memory of those seven astronauts who never returned from Columbia.
Robert F. Kennedy once said, ``There are those who look at things the
way they are, and ask why . . . I dream of things that never were, and
ask why not?'' That is the credo by which the seven astronauts of
Columbia lived their lives, and their legacy will be remembered as long
as greatness is revered.
Again, I join with my colleagues and all of America in expressing my
deepest appreciation, and my most sincere condolences to the families.
Our thoughts and prayers are with them. May God grant them strength and
comfort as He welcomes home the crew of Columbia.
Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I rise today with a heavy heart to mourn
the loss of a fellow Wisconsinite, a wife, mother, daughter, sister,
and friend. This extraordinary woman, Laurel Clark of Racine, WI, was a
physician, a Navy Commander, and an astronaut who was flying her first
space mission aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. When that craft broke
apart over the blue Texas sky on Saturday morning, we lost this
incredible woman and her six crew mates. I extend my deepest sympathy
to Dr. Clark's husband and son and to her family and friends.
Dr. Clark, the oldest of four children, was born in Iowa and grew up
in Racine, WI. She graduated from William Horlick High School in 1979
and went on to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she
studied zoology and was an active member of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority.
She earned her undergraduate degree in 1983, and her medical degree,
also from the University of Wisconsin, in 1987.
Dr. Clark joined the U.S. Navy after medical school and became a
diving doctor, participating a number of submarine missions. She was
selected to train as an astronaut in 1996, and she and her husband
relocated to Houston, TX, home of the Johnson Space Center.
Dr. Clark's first shuttle mission was postponed several times, and
after years of training and anticipation, she and her crewmates lifted
off from Cape Canaveral on January 16 for a 16-day microgravity
research mission. Aboard the Columbia, Dr. Clark was a mission
specialist who conducted numerous medical experiments, often using
herself as a test subject.
An e-mail message that Dr. Clark sent to her brother from space noted
that she enjoyed looking down on her home planet and seeing familiar
sights such as Wind Point on Lake Michigan.
Dr. Clark's professional journey took her from the depths of the
Earth's oceans to the vast reaches of outer space. She truly reached
for the stars and made incredible contributions to our country. Dr.
Laurel Clark and her crewmates were tragically taken from us too soon,
and we will always treasure her legacy of scientific exploration and
discovery and her commitment to her family, friends, and country.
Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to the men and
women who lost their lives on the space shuttle Columbia and offer my
condolences to their families and to the entire NASA community. Like
all Americans, they are in my thoughts and prayers during this
difficult time.
Early Saturday morning, the crew of the Columbia was preparing to
reenter the Earth's atmosphere after a 16-day mission to conduct
scientific experiments. Five of the seven astronauts were on their
first space flight. By all accounts, the mission had been a success,
and some of the astronauts jokingly complained to mission controllers
about having to come home. The crew included Dr. Kalpana Chawla, a
mechanical engineer and Indian immigrant, William McCool, a Navy test
pilot, Dr. David Brown, a Navy physician, COL Ilan Ramon, an Israeli
fighter pilot, Laurel Clark, a Navy flight surgeon, and two veterans of
the space program, Mission Commander Rick Husband and Payload Commander
Michael Anderson. Fourteen minutes into reentry, as the shuttle passed
through the upper atmosphere and reached temperatures as hot as 2,000
degrees, it broke apart above northern Texas, taking these seven
remarkable individuals down with it.
This was a world tragedy as much as it was an American tragedy. The
crew of the Columbia reflected our diverse planet as much as it did a
cross section of America. Dr. Chawla was a hero in her native India, as
was COL Ramon in Israel. Both were on their first space flight.
Millions of people around the world reacted in horror as they watched
footage of the Columbia streaking across the Texas sky. They share in
our deep sense of grief.
I am confident we will complete an exhaustive investigation to
determine what went wrong. All questions need to be answered before we
send our best and brightest back into space. However, I firmly believe
that we must press on. We must continue the exploration of space. I
have always supported the space program because I believe it is in the
best interests of mankind to unlock the mysteries of life on earth and
beyond. The shuttle missions have helped us understand global warming,
weather patterns, and the effects of weightlessness on the human body,
aided in the understanding of disease, and exponentially increased our
understanding of the universe. It would be impossible to quantify the
knowledge we have gained from sending men and women into space.
Space flight brings out the best in us. It challenges us to think
big, to strive for greatness, and to work together to achieve the most
important goals. There is no doubt in my mind that we should continue
these missions and prepare the next generation of astronauts for the
challenges that lay ahead. To be sure, there is great risk. However, if
it weren't difficult, if it didn't promise to improve the quality of
our lives and our understanding of the world, then it wouldn't be worth
doing. Yesterday the families of the Columbia 7 issued a statement
expressing that sentiment: ``Although we grieve deeply, as do the
families of Apollo 1 and Challenger before us, the bold exploration of
space must go on.''
This tragedy has touched each and every one of us. These selfless
heroes were dedicated to a cause greater then themselves. They were
passionate about space flight, passionate about their mission, and were
committed to making life better for all of us. They will be missed, and
they will never be forgotten.
Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I would like to include a few words for
the Record about the horrible tragedy that our Nation suffered on
Saturday morning. Our Nation grieves for the brave astronauts that lost
their lives on the Space Shuttle Columbia. My thoughts, and the
thoughts of all North Dakotans, are with the families and friends of
the seven crew members who died in the skies over Texas and Louisiana.
Rick Husband, Michael Anderson, Laurel Clark, David Brown, William
McCool, Kalpana Chawla, Ilan Ramon. These men and women came from
around the country and around the world to risk their lives, and
ultimately give their lives, for human space flight and all that it can
offer. Mr. Ramon was a colonel in the Israeli Air Force. Dr. Chawla was
an American born in India. The others came together from across the
United States. Their mission was one of cooperation, research, and
discovery. In these troubled times when we talk of war every day, their
mission was, significantly, a mission of peace.
I have always said that, when done right, space exploration can be of
tremendous benefit to those of us on the ground. The cutting edge
research that NASA conducts in space, including the research performed
by these seven brave individuals on Columbia, simply could not happen
on the surface of the Earth. Now, we are reminded not only of how
difficult and how important this research is, but also just how
dangerous it is.
In my State, we understand this first hand. In North Dakota, we are
proud to

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say that we have more astronauts per capita than any other State. James
Buchli, Tony England, and Richard Hieb all hail from North Dakota. One
of them, Mr. Hieb, flew on Columbia back in 1994.
In North Dakota, we are grieving over the loss of the seven members
of Columbia's last mission. But, I am confident that human space flight
will continue even in the wake of this disaster. Across this country,
and especially at NASA, there is a ``can-do'' attitude that will allow
us to forge ahead. It is this spirit that will allow us to move forward
with resilience after this horrible tragedy.
Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, like many of my colleagues, I wish to
discuss the national tragedy that occurred on Saturday morning and to
pay tribute to the seven brave men and women who lost their lives in
the space shuttle Columbia disaster.
Just like people around the country, I was beginning my day on
Saturday and tuning into the news programs when I learned that NASA had
lost contact with the Shuttle Columbia. I was riveted to the
developments as they unfolded on television and was devastated when our
President addressed the Nation, announcing what we all suspected at
that point, ``The Columbia is lost; There are no survivors.''
My heart and prayers go out to the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia
and their families. While space travel has in some ways become routine
to the American public, this tragedy is a vivid reminder of the
inherent risks these brave men and women undertake to pursue the
boundaries of space and science. On this day, and in the future, they
deserve to be remembered for the lives they lived and I hope we will do
that.
In the days that have followed the tragedy, we have all become
familiar with the backgrounds of the Columbia astronauts. They were men
and women of such accomplishment and capability that it begins to make
the extraordinary seem ordinary, but such a characterization is not
fair to them. Our astronaut corps continues to attract the best of the
best, and to require an unparalleled standard of achievement and
excellence. For many shuttle astronauts, the opportunity to participate
in a shuttle mission is the dream of a lifetime and for all of them, it
is the culmination of a lifetime of hard work.
I remember my excitement as a child, clipping articles about the
Mercury missions and hanging them on the bulletin board in my bedroom.
Today, Idaho's school children do the same with articles about the
International Space Station and the missions of our space shuttle
fleet. Many kids follow the progress of various NASA missions in their
classrooms. NASA considers this educational outreach a critical, core
mission and a major purpose for its existence as an agency. In fact, in
a recent meeting I had with NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, he spent
much of our time together discussing the ways that NASA is working to
excite students about math and science. This is vital work. It must
continue.
Although Congress and NASA are now getting on with the business of
investigating what went wrong, nothing should deter us from the
important missions of our national space program. I join with my
colleagues today in saluting the Columbia astronauts and those at NASA
who make it possible for us to explore our universe.
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to commemorate the lives
of the seven astronauts who gave their lives Saturday when the
spacecraft Columbia was lost as it returned to Earth. The names of
those manning the shuttle will be ingrained in our minds and in our
hearts: CDR Rick Husband, CDR William McCool, LTC Michael Anderson, CDR
Laurel Clark, CAPT David Brown, Dr. Kalpana Chawla, and COL Ilan Ramon,
of the Israeli Air Force.
The crew of the Columbia shared a love of flying and a sense of
adventure that spurred each to strive for excellence and reach for
space.
CDR Rick Husband knew from the time he was 4 years old and watched
his first shuttle launch that he wanted to be an astronaut.
He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Air Force and attended
pilot training at Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma. He later served as
a test pilot for all five models of the F-15. Commander Husband logged
more than 3,800 hours of flight time in more than 40 types of aircraft.
Commander Husband studied mechanical engineering at Fresno State
University in California through an extension program at nearby Edwards
Air Force Base. On the flight, Commander Husband carried a Fresno State
Bulldogs sweatshirt, as a memento. He graduated with a master's degree
in 1990. Four years later, NASA selected Husband as an astronaut
candidate.
He leaves behind his wife, and his two children.
Born in San Diego, CA, CDR William McCool was the son of a Navy and
Marine aviator who built model airplanes as a youngster.
Commander McCool studied aerospace engineering at the U.S. Naval
Academy, and was elected captain of the cross-country running team his
senior year. He graduated second in his class from the Naval Academy.
Commander McCool received a master's degree in computer science from
the University of Maryland in 1985 and a master's in aeronautical
engineering at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1992.
He attended flight school in Pensacola, FL, and worked as a test
pilot at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station in southern Maryland.
Commander McCool leaves behind a wife and two children.
LTC Michael Anderson always dreamed of space flight and once said
that he could not remember a time when he did not want to be an
astronaut.
He graduated from the University of Washington in 1981 with a degree
in physics and astronomy and, following in his father's footsteps, was
commissioned a second lieutenant in the Air Force.
While stationed at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska in 1990,
Anderson earned a master's degree in physics from Omaha's Creighton
University.
In 1994, he was selected to join NASA as a potential future
astronaut. In January 1998, he made his first flight, aboard the space
shuttle Endeavour, traveling 3.6 million miles during 138 orbits of the
Earth to reach the Mir space station.
LTC Michael Anderson leaves behind his wife and two daughters.
CDR Laurel Clark always excelled at school, and her classmates
remember her for her fun-loving and adventurous spirit.
After Commander Clark graduated from the University of Wisconsin-
Madison, she joined the Navy to pay her way through medical school, but
stayed with the Navy for the series of adventures it offered her in her
career.
While in the Navy, Commander Clark became a submarine medical
officer, dove with Navy SEALS in Scotland, and earned her flight
surgeon's wings before finally applying to NASA for astronaut training.
While orbiting the Earth, Commander Clark remarked on the beauty of
watching sunsets from space.
She leaves behind her husband and her son.
CAPT David Brown loved to fly kites as a child, and would gaze at the
stars with friends from a backyard telescope.
Captain Brown grew up in Arlington, VA, and earned a bachelor's
degree in biology from the College of William and Mary, where he worked
two jobs so he could take flying lessons.
He then earned a medical degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School
in Norfolk, before joining the Navy.
Captain Brown served as a flight surgeon in the Navy and joined NASA
in 1996.
His family and friends remember him as a person who ``grabbed life,''
saying that he could and did accomplish anything he set out to do.
Dr. Kalpana Chawla fell in love with the idea of flying as a young
girl in India.
She graduated from the Tagore Bal Niketan School in her small
hometown of Karnal and then got a bachelor's degree in aeronautical
engineering from Punjab Engineering College.
She left India for the United States, earning a master's degree from
the University of Texas and a doctorate in aerospace engineering from
the University of Colorado.
Dr. Chawla then worked as a scientist at the NASA Ames research
laboratory in California before joining the astronaut program in 1995.

[[Page S1864]]

Dr. Chawla was a member of the West Valley Flying Club in Palo Alto
who loved doing aerial acrobatics over the Bay Area.
She leaves behind her husband.
COL Ilan Ramon was a bona fide combat hero in Israel, flying missions
in the Yom Kippur War in 1973, and the Lebanon war in 1982.
In recent days, he lifted the spirits of his country, becoming a
national hero as the first Israeli in space.
As a pilot, Colonel Ramon clocked more than 4,000 hours in combat
aircraft, and was an F-16 squadron commander.
Aboard the Columbia, one of Ramon's scientific experiments involved
tracking sandstorms in the Sahara Desert, and studying their impact on
climate and environment.
He leaves behind his wife and four children.
Each of the astronauts knew the risks involved in space flight. But
they took those risks willingly in order to follow their dreams,
knowing that their mission was a noble one of science and discovery.
What remains for us, as a nation, is to determine the cause of this
tragedy, make adjustments so that it will not happen again, and
continue the exploration of space.
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe has already assigned several internal
units to investigate the loss of the Columbia, including a ``Mishap
Response Team'' and a ``Contingency Action Team.''
In addition, Administrator O'Keefe announced the formation of an
independent board led by Harold W. Gehman, who cochaired the probe of
the October 2000 terrorist attack on the USS Cole in Yemen.
I think that the way NASA has acted in the past few days is a marked
improvement to the way the investigation into the 1986 Challenger
explosion was handled.
Information has been disseminated quickly, which gives me hope that a
fair and prompt investigation will yield the causes for the loss of the
Columbia.
The space program must continue. The American legacy is filled with
stories of exploration, and the desire to push new frontiers to the
limit.
There is so much to learn from space. This tragedy will not stifle
the desire to acquire all the potential knowledge we could gain as a
country, and as a planet, from exploration beyond Earth.
The risks, however, will always be present. In a way, space
exploration means continually breaking new ground, and taking those
risks.
The hardest part of these losses, is the human loss. The astronauts
aboard the Columbia were men and women at their prime. They put their
hearts and souls into this mission, were the best and brightest of
their peers, and still this catastrophe befell them.
My heart goes out to the families that the crew of the Space Shuttle
Columbia left behind. As we search for the reasons this tragedy
occurred, it cannot be forgotten that each member was a son or
daughter, a mother or father, a brother or sister, a dear friend. The
thoughts and prayers of the American people, and of the world, are with
them as they endure the pain of this loss.
The crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia embodied the human desire to
explore, to reach, and to dream. Their courage, idealism, and
enthusiasm for discovery are hallmarks of the American spirit which
should be remembered and celebrated, even as we grieve their loss.
(At the request of Mr. Daschle, the following statement was ordered
to be printed in the Record.)
<bullet> Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, twice now we have witnessed the
horror of vapor trails separating in the sky.
Twice now we have gazed in shock at photographs of the optimistic
faces of seven young heroes, captured as they stood at the brink of one
of mankind's greatest adventures.
Twice now we have endured the loss of a space shuttle and its valiant
crew: First, Challenger on January 28, 1986, at the start of a landmark
voyage dedicated to teaching a new generation about space. Now, 17
years and 4 days later, Columbia on February 1, 2003, at the conclusion
of a successful scientific mission.
Both incidents remind us that space exploration is fraught with risk,
but also with limitless possibility. Even as we mourn the loss of
Columbia's crew of seven brave heroes, including the first astronaut
from Israel, we must rededicate ourselves to continuing to pursue
knowledge of the heavens and the benefits we derive from our research.
We in Florida feel the losses most intensely. My State is home to the
Kennedy Space Center and thousands of the dedicated professionals who
work for NASA as well as its contractors. Floridians consider ourselves
part of the special family that makes up the space program. We launched
the Columbia on its 16-day mission, and we were ready to welcome her
crew home.
Now, Floridians are firm in our belief that, just as we did in the
1980s, we must fully explore the causes of Saturday's disaster. We must
identify what went wrong and fix it. We must ensure the safety of the
remaining three orbiters and future astronauts.
But then we recommit ourselves to returning to space, to resuming
launches, to continuing to build the International Space Station, and
to forging ahead with missions to Mars and other planets.
We are already hearing cautious voices calling for spacecraft to be
piloted by robots, or even insisting that no new money be spent on
space. I say that is wrong. On May 25, 1961, when President John F.
Kennedy declared it a national goal to land a man on the Moon, he did
so with these words: ``If we are to go only half way, or reduce our
sights in the face of difficulty, in my judgment it would be better not
to go at all.''
In the spirit of John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, and our other space
pioneers, astronauts must once again be sent soaring through the
Earth's atmosphere to explore and discover.<bullet>

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