Statement by President Bush (on loss of space shuttle Columbia)

Spaceflight Now ^

[McGruff]

My fellow Americans, this day has brought terrible news and great sadness to our country. At 9:00 a.m. this morning, Mission Control in Houston lost contact with our Space Shuttle Columbia. A short time later, debris was seen falling from the skies above Texas. The Columbia is lost; there are no survivors.

On board was a crew of seven: Colonel Rick Husband; Lt. Colonel Michael Anderson; Commander Laurel Clark; Captain David Brown; Commander William McCool; Dr. Kalpana Chawla; and Ilan Ramon, a Colonel in the Israeli Air Force. These men and women assumed great risk in the service to all humanity.

In an age when space flight has come to seem almost routine, it is easy to overlook the dangers of travel by rocket, and the difficulties of navigating the fierce outer atmosphere of the Earth. These astronauts knew the dangers, and they faced them willingly, knowing they had a high and noble purpose in life. Because of their courage and daring and idealism, we will miss them all the more.

All Americans today are thinking, as well, of the families of these men and women who have been given this sudden shock and grief. You're not alone. Our entire nation grieves with you. And those you loved will always have the respect and gratitude of this country.

The cause in which they died will continue. Mankind is led into the darkness beyond our world by the inspiration of discovery and the longing to understand. Our journey into space will go on.

In the skies today we saw destruction and tragedy. Yet farther than we can see there is comfort and hope. In the words of the prophet Isaiah, "Lift your eyes and look to the heavens. Who created all these? He who brings out the starry hosts one by one and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing."

The same Creator who names the stars also knows the names of the seven souls we mourn today. The crew of the shuttle Columbia did not return safely to Earth; yet we can pray that all are safely home.

May God bless the grieving families, and may God continue to bless America.

[McGruff]

[red-dawg]

In case anyone wants to print an STS-107 shuttle patch for prosperity -->CLICK

[billorites]

Gonna be tough for and PHC to do their annual joke show tonight.

[billorites]

What I meant to say is that it will be difficult for Garrison Kiellor and Prarie Home Companion to do their annual joke show tonight.

[Fiddlstix]

Bump

[Xenalyte]

Screw those a$$holes at DU. It was a wonderful speech.

[jwfiv]

Thanks for the post and the pic.

What our President said, and how he said it, was very moving.

I thank the Lord for him.

[FBD]

In honor of the Columbia astronauts, would someone please post the official NASA picture of them, on this and every thread about this tragedy? Their faces deserve to be remembered. Thanks...

[Xenalyte]

They're all het up because it took five hours for him to show up. I mean, really. If he'd spoken immediately, they would have crucified him for speaking prematurely.

And even worse . . . one thread over there says that Dubya's sedated or tranquilized. The poster claims to be able to tell from his pupils and the speed of his blinks that he's on Valium.

Ill-bred vultures.

Except for OliveBranch, of course, who has demonstrated pure class and sensitivity today.

[lady lawyer]

He was having trouble holding back the tears when he stepped away from the microphone.

[exit82]

I second that emotion. Those words of faith came from his own heart.

We scarce deserve such a man as our President.

[Darlin']

"The same Creator who names the stars also knows the names of the seven souls we mourn today. The crew of the shuttle Columbia did not return safely to Earth; yet we can pray that all are safely home." - President George W Bush, 1 February 2003

Once again President Bush is called upon to provide comfort to a shocked and saddened nation. May God Bless America and our President.

[Cicero]

A beautiful speech. My wife, who listens to our liberal friends and is not a great Bush admirer, thought so too. And she commented with approval that it's been a long time since a U.S. president openly spoke about God like that.

[NYC GOP Chick]

For a guy who's supposed to be such an illiterate and inarticulate dunce, he sure comes up with some of the most beautiful and poignant words.

[anniegetyourgun]

[TXLady]

Thanks so much for posting the President's words. I have been waiting for someone to post them. His quoting of the scripture from Isaiah really touched me. I was holding it together up until then. Really lost it after that. Such a sad time....