[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 1459]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          THE SHUTTLE WILL FLY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM DeLAY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 2, 2005

  Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the victims of the space 
shuttle Columbia disaster, and also to honor the survivors here on the 
ground, who have worked without interruption for two years to see that 
the legacy of those seven explorers lives on.
  Against a striking blue sky that Saturday morning, the shuttle burst 
like a star, and our friends, our astronauts--who, as President Bush 
said, faced their dangers willingly because they knew they had a ``high 
and noble purpose in life''--were gone.
  That day our Nation mourned their loss and gave thanks that such men 
and women lived.
  And that day, our space program, brought low by tragedy, began a new 
ascent in the hard, hard work of discovery.
  Because no organization works with higher stakes, no organization has 
ever had to be as good as NASA at recovering from mistakes and adapting 
to new and more dangerous challenges.
  That is why, as we remember the Columbia seven, those of us still 
inspired by America's mission in space joined our sorrow with hope when 
we heard the news that the shuttle could soon return to flight.
  NASA's ``Return to Flight Task Force'' reported this week that the 
space shuttle Discovery could be cleared to fly again as early as this 
summer.
  This news is not only great, Mr. Speaker, but noble.
  The legacy of the Columbia seven was a legacy of exploration and 
discovery not despite the risks, but, in a way, because of the risks--
because knowledge has no price.
  Every astronaut who has ever suited up for NASA is driven by the same 
spirit that drew early man out of his cave and into the light.
  We crossed an ocean, then a continent, and walked the surface of the 
moon, not in search of profit but knowledge.
  America's mission in space is nothing less than the answering of 
ancient questions, on behalf of all the nations and all people who have 
ever stared into the night sky and wondered.
  Intrepid, wise, and good, the Columbia seven--sons and daughters, 
brothers and sisters, parents and friends--left us that day two years 
ago, but their souls echo still in the brave and brilliant they left 
behind at NASA.
  The shuttle will fly, Mr. Speaker, and the Columbia seven wouldn't 
have it any other way.
  So today, we remember, we mourn, and we hope, confident as Americans 
always are, that those who died in a quest to conquer ignorance can 
never die in vain.

                          ____________________