Humanities tragic reach for the stars.

[Cranky]

Forty miles above, seven man and woman streaked across the sky waiting to touch down on Mother Earth. A minute later they were gone forever, burned by the very air that nurtured them.

May their God welcome them to his heart. As for us mare mortals, we will remember them forever as man and woman who braved the final frontier for all of mankind. Our mourning is tempered by the pride we feel for those brave few who go where few man have gone before and dare to go again.

Our heart felt sympathies to the families, our tears for their souls.

God awaits you.

Rick D. Husband
William C. McCool
Michael P. Anderson
Kalpana Chawla
David M. Brown
Laurel B. Clark
Ilan Ramon




All your star dreams have come to pass
You've reached the final peace at last
Those remaining on earth's embrace
Honor your contribution to the human race.

They touched the face of God today
He brushed all of their tears away,
He smiled at them and softly said,
Welcome Home, your new life's ahead.

[Ged]

Heroes one and all. These are the type of people who give hope for the whole of the human race. Explorers, who reach into the dark unknown are on a perilous and dire journey. Many have perished in the past, many will perish in the future, but none will ever be forgotten. May God rest their souls.

[cigarviper]

Amen

[MPLABBE]

Amen to that as well.

[habwest]

Yes really too bad; it's going to be hard on the families with the public visibiity and all. Must have been horrific while it was happening. They were doing a dangerous job and it did them in, like a whole lot of other folks who you never hear about I suppose but nevertheless.

You really have to wonder about those shuttles they're "flying". Those things are ancient from a technological point of view. It surprises me that the US has allowed itself to become so reliant on these things for something as critical as the US presence in space without backup systems or a new generation of machines and technology waiting in the wings. The use of space is absolutely vital to the US right now and in the forseeable future.

Maybe this will shake things up and get some push behind modernizing their whole man in space program, rather than spending billions on sending satellites to Mars, which don't even work, and other planets and beyond for God knows what reasons. With the kind of resources the USA has there seems to be little excuse for sending people into space in relative "rust buckets" to do already incredibly dangerous work.

If their death serves to impel the US Govt to do something about the situation then at least it will not have been in vain. A new focus and determination regarding this program would be a fitting monument.