The World Mourns - Your Thoughts on the Space Shuttle Columbia Tragedy

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Your comments so far:

I am a second-generation NASA worker with 16 years of experience in the shuttle program. The loss of Columbia Saturday shook me to the core, but I went to work and ran my pre-planned procedure. 'Contingency Plan', it is called. This kept me so busy and focused that my mind stayed away from the tragedy and humanity of the 'contingency' and I did not cry. I worked with profound professionalism and sense of purpose as I ran though the steps defined in the contingency plan. I like to think that I do my 'everyday' tasks (non-contingency tasks) in the same manner every day.

I knew that my personal grieving process was a requirement left to be completed this evening as I left the office here at J.S.C. I did not know when it would start, or what would be its impetus. But I knew that it was coming.

Tonight I came home and logged-onto SpaceRef.Com and found your messages about our loss. For the first time my eyes teared-up. Reading the words of support and condolences from across the world that are posted here have served to begin the process necessary to my personal healing.

I thank you all for your support, care, and trust. And please know that I and all of my colleagues are worthy of your trust. We will discover the root cause(s) of Columbia.s destruction, and we will endeavour to ensure that the problem does not reoccur. Thank you.

My name is Amy Gumley and my father was involved in the space program in the 1960's. He built custom-engineered cables and in fact built the cable, which he named after me, the Amy cable, which was attached to the Lunar Excursion Module and took pictures of the moon and broadcast them back to earth. Unfortunately, he was killed in our private plane when I was 12 years ago. Needless to say, the space program is very dear to me.

Now, I am a poet and a writer and thought you might like to see this work that I wrote in honor of the astronauts.

February 1, a beautiful day

Sixteen more minutes
Before they could land
Unexplained problems
Few could understand.

Temperature sensors had failed on the wing
Left many baffled, it just didn’t ring
Tire pressure loss up on the gear
Much overheating, so much unclear.

People in Texas heard a great boom
So loud as if it were in the next room.
Debris started falling from out of the sky
And suddenly everyone asked themselves why?

David, Kalpana, William
Rick, Laurel, Ilan and Mike
Despite different backgrounds
In essence alike.

For they were all astronauts
Heroes to us
Remember their service
And their story, discuss.

The loss of the seven, quite shocking to all
Yet others will step in to answer their call
Space shuttle travel will once again soar
For the lure of what's out there we cannot ignore.

© www.poemstogo.tv

First, My thoughts and prayers go out to NASA, the families, and everybody else involved. I once again will never forget when I first heard. My immediate thought was oh God!, not again. I could not believe it. Then as I watched on tv, I thought please God I hope they did not suffer. I for one will never forget. May God Bless them and the rest of us.

Columbia

For a short time
we were able to see
the vast painting
of God.

Returning home from
this awesome trip,

We slip from the real
world,
To the presence of the
Creator.

Stephen W. Green

I'm am very saddened by what happen on Saturday. We pray for the astronauts & for there families. May god be with you all.

A new constelation is in the heaven it names is Columbia, it is made of seven star, each of them will be shinning forever in our hearts.

We take so much for granted. All around the world, men and women proudly put their lives on the line every day to defend our nation, assist our allies and, as in the case of the lost astronauts, advance the understanding of our universe. They work unselfishly, for little material reward, and often at great personal risk. Sadly, disasters seem to stay in our collective memory as sharp, defining moments; we mourn our loss and move along. Hopefully, the families and friends of the Columbia team will know that they are in our thoughts and prayers. Let's not forget them. Let's honor them by making the shuttle program work better, as safely as possible--and by renewing our commitment to space exploration.

Stars

Rick Weber

A catastrophic loss such as this is a loss for the World. These seven extraordinary men and women have now joined others who have gone before them. Each has given their lives in support of a fundamental dream of all Mankind: to push back the frontiers of knowledge, and to respect the urging of the human spirit.

It would be a monumental disservice to them to give even the slightest consideration to slowing down or cancelling the manned spaceflight programs. Not only a disservice, but also an insult and a rebuke. This must not be allowed to happen.

To those who would claim that spaceflight is a waste of time, effort, energy and resources, and who clamour for these things to be redirected to spent on fixing the countless problems on the ground, I can say only this. Those problems existed long before spaceflight became a reality, and they were much worse. The program that you would criticize is the very one that will be, and is helping to clean up the mess all around us.

To those who bear the responsibility for ensuring adequate funding for this program, I say: Do your job, and do it well!

To those who were closest to those who lost on Saturday, I can only offer a silent prayer that peace of mind will eventually come back to you, and that your loved ones and friends did not die in vain.

To the families of the space shuttle Columbia: I, as everyone else in the world have been truly saddened by this tragedy. They knew the risks involved & yet they stood proudly to further explore God's great universe. Now they have gone home to God's kingdom. When tragedy strikes, we all grieve, but we all must remember that these seven men & women accomplished what they set out to do & it will always be recorded in our history. We must also remember our Creator & how we were sent here as a mission in itself. One day we will all be united again with our families & friends in the heaven above. Never more to have disaster or hurt come into our lives. To the families & friends of the seven courageous men & women I would like to say you should be very proud of them and one day soon you will see them again, & they will be just as whole as when you last saw them. God has put them back together in a spirit that can never be destroyed again. I pray for the release of your grief as you take this journey through this life, & it will be a hard journey, but God never said it would be easy. Believe & you shall receive His strength through this time of hurt. But remember you will see them again! God bless you all & God bless America.

There is a saying that was dedicated to the Astronauts of Apollo 1, and is inscribed saying:

"A Hard Road Leads To The Stars"

It is fitting too for the brave Astronauts of Columbia, and the Astronauts waiting their turn to fly. The road to the stars IS hard and The Road Home equally hard.

They have joined past "Space Woyagers" and Now sit at the right hand of God.

To the Columbia crew and their families, the United States Air Force has a very special unit, they are called pararescue, their motto is as follows "SO THAT OTHERS MAY LIVE". To me this is what best describes the crew of Columbia, they freely gave their lives for the benefit of all of mankind. Although they can not be with us now, I will look at the sky with memories of them. they and others prior are the great heros of our world. God Bless.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of the seven brave people who understood that we must explore space and they lived their dreams. I'm sure they all knew the risks of their job, and it saddens me to hear people shout that we need to stop going into space. Now, more than ever, we must continue to go into space; giving up would let all the fallen ones down.

After having read the press release of the families statement and feeling their grief, but more, feeling their faith in a program that has withstood other set backs,I agree that we must forge forward. My first thought was - why are we doing this, risking lives. I understand more now. This is their passion, their life. With a deep faith in God who has put this calling on their life. I mourn with the friends and families and honor their request to continue with this manned space venture so that these 7 lives, along with the others long is the past, is not in vain!

My thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those lost on Saturday. This was a terrible tragedy and and a horrific loss of dedicated men and women who we can consider heroes. I hope however that this awful accident does not impede further space exploration. I think the fallen astronauts would agree that the journey must go on, for the benefit of all mankind...

As a former member of The U.S.A.F., I have always tried to keep up with what NASA and USAF Space Command are workimg on. Seeing the Int. Space Station grow from one small section to a large scientific platform has been extremely exciting. Growing up in a generation rich with Science Fiction, it is somewhat sad that it takes such a tragic event for many of us to realize that there are real life Captain Kirk's out there, pushing to go where none of us have gone before. These astronauts will truly be missed.

The hearts of all americans are with the family, NASA and our government in general, God bless America and what we are looking now with sadness and tears may be benefitial and useful for the future generations. United we stand, each american must show the world that each of us love each other, support each other and we are still the best nation in the world.