Posted on 01/06/2004 1:02:49 PM PST by RightWhale
Bush praises Mars mission
WASHINGTON (AFP) Jan 06, 2004
US President George W. Bush congratulated NASA officials behind the Mars probe mission by telephone Tuesday, suggesting their work helped heal wounds from the space shuttle Columbia disaster.
"The president thanked the NASA team for their hard work and ingenuity, and for reaffirming the great spirit of American exploration," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters.
Bush said he shared in the wonder sparked when the robot probe Spirit beamed back to earth the first full-color images of its surroundings on the Red Planet.
"The president shares in the excitement of all Americans as we see the dramatic images," said McClellan. "We know that it is only a glimpse of the things to come as spirit begins its historic trek across the Mars landscape."
"The president is strongly committed to the exploration of space, and, thanks to the great work of those at nasa, America continues to be on the leading edge of exploration and discovery," said the spokesman.
The mission "embodies the best of American ingenuity, technological know-how and can-do spirit," said McClellan.
The rover's picture-perfect landing was a shot in the arm for the US space program, which is still reeling from the loss nearly one year ago of the space shuttle Columbia, which disintegrated upon reentry in Earth's atmosphere on February 1, 2003.
| Rank | Location | Receipts | Donors/Avg | Freepers/Avg | Monthlies | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Illinois | 375.00 |
11 |
34.09 |
437 |
0.86 |
293.00 |
19 |
Thanks for donating to Free Republic!
Move your locale up the leaderboard!
There is a Columbia placard on the back of the high-gain antenna. It's not cheap to move any weight to Mars, so you know they really meant it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.