Commemorating the "Columbia" Astronauts

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD
SENATE
PAGE S1914
Feb. 5, 2003

COMMEMORATING THE "COLUMBIA" ASTRONAUTS

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, together, as a nation, we mourn the loss of the seven extraordinary men and women of the Columbia shuttle who gave their lives so unselfishly and courageously for our country. They knew the dangers they faced, but they believed in their mission, and they represent the very best of America.

    We know the great loss their families and the whole Nation have suffered, and they are very much in our thoughts and prayers. They were daring and brave explorers. Their extraordinary spirit and courage enabled them to reach for the stars and explore the universe and discover its truths. In serving America so well, they also served all humanity.

    The best way for all of us to honor the memory and sacrifice of these brave young men and women is to carry on the work they were part of. The tragedy reminds us again that those who venture into space place their own lives at risk as they try to benefit us all. We can vindicate their faith by keeping faith with them. Those whom we have just lost would be the first to say to us, "persevere, go forward," because they were pioneers in the truest sense and in the greatest of American tradition. They were willing to take risks, even to risk their lives in order to benefit us all.

    I know how deeply President Kennedy believed in the space program. He called it, "the vast ocean of space," and he set our Nation firmly on a course to explore it, understand it, and use it in ways that help and protect us all. When America first embarked more than 40 years ago on the great voyage into space, President Kennedy said, "It will not be one man going to the Moon: it will be an entire Nation."

    He knew that when we reach for the stars, sometimes we fall short. But as he knew so well, the mission must go on. He would have been very proud of these seven astronauts, as all of us are today. Let us honor these seven inspiring heroes by continuing the great enduring mission they were part of, for the benefit of our country, our planet, and all peoples everywhere.

    As my brother said on November 21, 1963, the day before he left us, "This Nation has tossed its cap over the wall of space, and we shall have no choice but to follow it." In the quintessential spirit of America, the crew of the Columbia have tossed their caps over that wall, too, and we shall never forget them.

    I extend my deepest and heartfelt sympathy to the families who have so suddenly lost their loved ones. I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the RECORD an excerpt from President Kennedy's address to Congress on space in 1961, and the poem "High Flight" by John Gillespie Magee, Jr., which President Reagan read after the loss of the Challenger in 1986.