Columbia crew praised at East Texas memorial
Posted on 02/08/2003 5:41:15 PM PST by MeekOneGOP
Columbia crew praised at East Texas memorial
02/08/2003
LUFKIN, Texas - In an East Texas town that is the command center in the search for debris from space shuttle Columbia, the seven astronauts who died were remembered Saturday not only for being heroes, but also for being a fun-loving group.
"Just seven days ago we were awaiting the successful return of the space shuttle Columbia," Gov. Rick Perry told the group of about 1,000 gathered at the First Baptist church. "Today we mourn the lives of the seven on board, so close to their final destination."
Perry praised the courage of the seven astronauts: "They remind us that the future belongs to the brave and the bold."
AP A display memorializing Columbia's crew is erected at Lufkin's city hall on Saturday. |
Residents and officials involved in the investigation attended the ceremony in a church across from a command center set up at the civic center.
"We pray for those of you seeking to find the cause of the disaster," said Rick Williams, pastor of Carpenter's Way Church.
NASA astronaut Jeff Ashby, who recalled visiting the crew's lively table at the NASA Christmas party and leaving with a small STS-107 sticker on his cheek, said the crew was a generous, caring bunch with a great sense of humor.
"They actually baked cakes for their training instructors on their birthdays," he said.
Before the podium, pictures of Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, Rick Husband, William McCool and Ilan Ramon, were flanked by wreaths decorated in red, white and blue. Behind the each picture, a candle burned.
At one point, a moment of silence was observed, then came the sound of seven chimes.
In Hemphill, authorities involved in the search for debris also paused Saturday morning.
"There was total silence in the room, about a minute, and then we went on with life," said Marq Webb, U.S. Forest Service spokesman.
Officials also recognized the surrounding communities which have spent the last week since the shuttle broke apart Feb. 1 assisting authorities who are searching for debris.
"We at NASA are struggling to find the proper words to thank the people of Lufkin and the surrounding communities," said NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe.
He said the people of Lufkin could not have planned for about 1,500 people from about 20 federal, state and local agencies to descend on their town, but they have been up to the task.
Ashby's personal remembrances of the crew brought several chuckles. He said the crew whose mascot was a toy hamster that sang "Kung Foo Fighting" convinced their secretary that if she put candy on their desk, she'd see them more often.
He said Ramon dreamed that one day the quiet of space would come to his country of Israel.
And no matter how hectic her day, Ashby said Clark left in time to pick her 8-year-old son up from school.
Anderson was quiet, that's unless asked about his family or his Porsche.
Ashby says Chawla was the studious one and would drop her humor when they got to the simulator to train.
"She would tell the rest of the crew, 'Cut the comedy; let's get serious,"' Ashby said. "To which they would all just laugh."
Brown, the bachelor of group, was constantly in search of food.
Ashby said that McCool, known for being punctual, was late one day because he was "trying to dispatch a cockroach for his wife."
Husband, who was close to his church, donated a beloved Camaro to the church, but months later asked to buy it back. "He missed it too much," Ashby said.
The seven people from different parts of the world with diverse backgrounds and different religious beliefs became a close-knit group, he said.
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Groan... the future is reached at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whoever you are, whatever you are doing
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