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 2003 News Columns |
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Remembering Columbia Like millions of other Americans on February 1st, I watched the dreams of seven brave astronauts streak back to earth in sadness. The sorrow we still feel today, and will feel for many days, is because those seven astronauts of the space shuttle Columbia carried our dreams with them. That is the mystery and magic of our space program. Our astronauts go to space in large part for those of us who cannot. Our hearts and spirits are their cargo. We soar and ride with them into a realm that is beyond the grasp of most men, but not beyond the grasp of mankind. As we look back over the history of our space program, we marvel at our achievements. We first saw Alan Shepard's Freedom 7 in 1961, mark the first of many American trips into the new frontier. And we remember Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon in 1969. Small steps for one man, large steps for mankind. In the years that have passed we have continued to follow our dreams into space. Occurring so frequently, space travel has become almost routine in the eyes of the American public. Yet February 1st was a painful reminder of the dangers that remain. While we strive to eliminate risk we realize that we can only minimize it. Risk haunts every mission. This is the cruel reality of manned space flight. Our nation has felt this pain before. We lost the crews of Apollo 1 in 1967 and the space shuttle Challenger in 1986. These pioneers paved the way for amazing discoveries. They also show us that we must go back to space. The sacrifice that these crews and the crew of Columbia cannot be forgotten. America must maintain its commitment to the space program and to the two Americans and one Russian who remain in space at the International Space Station. We need to bring them home safely. There are astronauts who have not yet flown, but who will. They dream of carrying our hopes beyond this planet we call home. The dream has not died with Columbia and her proud crew. As chairmen of the Senate Appropriation subcommittee that funds NASA, I will ensure that they will have all the funds needed to investigate this tragedy. The safety of these future astronauts depends on it. Our single mission is to find out what went wrong and we will leave no stone unturned. To ensure this, I believe it is appropriate to hold a hearing of this subcommittee to identify the shuttle funding upgrades and safety needs of NASA as soon as possible. This is too important an issue not to receive the full attention of the Senate. Through my committee position I will make the safety of the remaining space shuttles paramount. Members of Congress must keep the security of these men and women who risk their lives our top priority in all the budget decisions we will make in the coming future. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of these astronauts that feel this loss the greatest. We mourn with them in this difficult time. The seven astronauts of Columbia deserve our admiration These brave men and women strengthen the spirit of discovery that is at the heart of America. |
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