[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 2308-2326]
[From the U.S. 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.
  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

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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 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

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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.
  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;

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     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 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

[[Page 2312]]

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 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.

[[Page 2313]]

  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 
Weekly Reader--which was something

[[Page 2314]]

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 returned 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

[[Page 2315]]

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 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.

[[Page 2316]]

  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 
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 Freeman 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 went 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

[[Page 2317]]

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 
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

[[Page 2318]]

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 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, Israeli 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.

[[Page 2319]]

  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.
  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.
  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 an 
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 former Senator John 
Glenn, risked it all to help us develop jet engine and rocket 
propulsion technologies, and to learn about the outer-reaches of our 
stratosphere. Dozens died in the process. They sacrificed their lives 
to make the space program possible.

[[Page 2320]]

  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 when 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 of 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.
  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., became 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

[[Page 2321]]

     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.
                                  ____


                [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.''

[[Page 2322]]

     
                                  ____
                [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 aboard 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 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.

[[Page 2323]]

       ``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 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 in 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

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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 than 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 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.

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  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.
  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.)
 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

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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.

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