Commemorating the Columbia Astronauts

Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise today to join my colleagues and the country in remembering the seven brave crewmembers of the Space Shuttle Columbia who tragically lost their lives last Saturday morning, February 1, 2003.

Rick Husband, William McCool, Michael Anderson, Kalpana Chawla, David M. Brown, Laurel Blair Salton Clark, and Ilan Ramon gave their lives trying to expand our knowledge of science, advance our technology, and broaden the limits of our universe.

These seven courageous astronauts sacrificed their lives for our future. While this is a time of great sadness, it is also a time to take great pride in their achievements, their dedication, and their service to the Nation and to the world.

They were seven different people with various skills, many talents, and different backgrounds, and they all came to work together as a team. That is what most people believe America should be like: working together as a team to accomplish something greater than themselves. They could have had very comfortable jobs somewhere else, but they chose to risk their lives for the country. They have not only found a place in our hearts, but they have found a place in our imagination also because, for me, they represent what this country is all about. They came together. They came from modest circumstances. They used the power of education to prepare themselves not just for personal success but to contribute to the Nation and to contribute to the world. They exemplify the best of this Nation.

They understood that great accomplishment and great achievement bring great risk. They knew this, yet they valiantly accepted, in the name of science and exploration, all the risks. It is important we pay tribute to them and acknowledge the risks our astronauts take with every mission.

We tend to take these risks for granted and forget the extreme conditions and pressures these brave men and women face and will face in the future. In honor of the crew of Columbia, we must not take these risks for granted any longer.

In their honor, we must pledge to continue the peaceful exploration of space. We have forged international partnerships. We have been able to share the pride of an international space station. We must continue to fund NASA, continue our space programs, and continue in the tradition of American and human accomplishment.

Later this year, we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' monumental 59-second flight on December 17, 1903. That flight forever changed the world. Fifty-four years later, we were able to put a man in space.

The process of innovation and exploration must go on, and America must play its traditional significant, historic role.
We have in our process from the sands of Kitty Hawk to the stretches of the Moon experienced powerful joy and monumental success, and yet we have faced tremendous setbacks and extreme sorrow. But we have persevered, and we have continued our missions into the heavens.

From our colleague John Glenn and Allan Shepherd to Neil Armstrong to an international space station, and from the crew of Challenger and the crew of Columbia, we must continue to challenge ourselves as they challenged themselves. We must continue to better ourselves as a nation and continue to grow.

President Kennedy challenged America to send a man to the Moon. We have met that challenge and have gone far beyond.

As we continue with future missions, we must never forget these seven brave souls. They gave the ultimate sacrifice for a noble cause. My deepest condolences go out to their families and the Nation that mourns them and the country of Israel that mourns its lost astronaut. This is a time for mourning, but we must shortly move on and continue to run the great risks they took, in their memory, so we can build upon their sacrifice, so we continue to reach for the heavens and beyond.

I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.