Published: 02-11-08
As the Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off from its pad at Cape Canaveral on Thursday we were reminded of America’s preeminence in space travel and the extraordinary courage and determination of our astronaut corps. We also were reminded of the dangers inherent in manned space flight and the bravery of American astronauts who sacrificed their lives to advance the cause of space exploration.It was five years ago this week that the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated shortly after re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere killing her crew of seven. The disaster shocked the world and shook American confidence in the Space Shuttle program much as the previous shuttle disaster did when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after lift-off in 1986.
The Columbia had already made history as the first Space Shuttle launched into space in 1981. On February 1 2003 an unusually warm winter day the Columbia and her crew had just completed another successful mission in space and was sixteen minutes from landing in Florida when the shuttle disintegrated. The explosion was audible to thousands of people in North Texas. Traveling at supersonic speed the wreckage was strewn across Texas Arkansas and Louisiana. Recovery efforts would take months to complete.
Like most Americans I was stunned and saddened by the news. Within days it became clear that a considerable amount of the shuttle wreckage landed in the Sixth District most notably in Navarro County. I will always be grateful for the manner in which the people of Navarro County and their city and county officials assisted federal agencies involved in the recovery effort.
I also take pride in the fact that one of Columbia’s crew Dr. Kalpana Chawla had been a resident of the Sixth District. Dr. Chawla a native of India came to the United States to pursue her graduate degree at the University of Texas at Arlington before becoming an astronaut. Since the accident a new student residence hall has been built on campus and named in her honor. Known informally by students as KC Hall it stands as a monument to her courage and sacrifice and as an ever-present reminder of what UTA students can accomplish.
In the months following the Columbia disaster we learned that the cause of the accident was due to the loss of heat-resistant tiles that caused the wing structure to become superheated and break apart. But the larger question was what the mission of NASA should be and whether it should include manned space flight.
Space exploration has led to many great feats and several beneficial discoveries. Over the past 50 years we landed on the moon saw robots explore every surface of far reaching planets and made astonishing advancements in healthcare because of space exploration. As other countries continually expand their space programs it is vital that we continue our program in an effort to remain the leader of this exciting field.
After the Columbia disaster President Bush reinforced the U.S. commitment to manned space exploration by announcing plans to return to the Moon in preparation for a mission to Mars. To achieve this goal NASA will retire the current Space Shuttle and develop a new Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). The CEV will safely carry future astronauts to new destinations opening the door to more breakthroughs for the benefit of mankind. The Space Shuttle will be retired in 2010 after we complete our obligation to the International Space Station (ISS). Completion of the ISS will further our efforts in space exploration.
As we watched the crew of the Space Shuttle Atlantis launch into space we once again were inspired by the courage of American astronauts.
I join all Americans in wishing them Godspeed. We were also reminded of the brave sacrifice of the Columbia astronauts: Michael Anderson David Brown Kalpana Chawla Laurel Clark Rick Husband William McCool and Ilan Ramon who gave their lives to a great cause. The stirring words President Ronald Reagan spoke after the loss of the Challenger come to mind as we remember the crew of the Columbia: “They honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them nor the last time we saw them as they prepared for their journey and waved good-bye and ‘slipped the surly bonds of earth’ to ‘touch the face of God.”
