I believe in the manned space program. To me, there is no more noble cause, no more powerful statement of what mankind can achieve, what we should achieve, than the exploration of space. This sentiment is firmly entrenched in my heart, my soul, and my mind.
Today the Space Shuttle Columbia broke up on re-entry. Seven astronauts died. I grieve for them, and for their families. The loss of these special people will be felt for some time to come.
The women and men who make the exploration of space their lives are truly a rare and special breed. In this day and age when sports stars and rock singers can be "heroes", I feel totally justified in calling the crews, past, present and future, of the space program my heroes.
I still believe in the manned space program, more so than ever. These people go where I can not. They carry my dreams with them on every flight. In my mind, there could be no greater tragedy than to let the loss of the Columbia crew impede or slow our inevitable reach into space.
I am not a religious person, so I will not offer prayer. But my thoughts and feelings go out to the friends and families of the crew of Columbia. May they find relief in the knowledge that the pilots and payload specialists of that ship died doing something few of us can: they were living their dream.
