In Memory of STS-107, Shuttle Columbia What else can you say when such things happen? Life is such a strong thing, able to transcend the boundaries between earth and sky and even beyond, yet it is at the same time such a fragile thing, quietly vanishing from the light and into the silent darkness in the blink of an eye. What else can you say to the loved ones of the lost? Words can convey so much in one moment, and convey a hollow empty feeling in the next breath. Will it bring comfort or sorrow to tell them that this morning, seven brave people lost their lives in the only way they would have wanted to, heads held high as they descended like angels from the void, only to once again take wing on a heavenly wind where they would fly alongside God himself? What else can you say when driving home in a cold rain, made colder still by the distant voice on the radio? A strange picture forming in the mind, the image of Christa McAuliffe, dressed in her blue NASA suit with angelic wings streaming behind her, standing before the seven heroes arriving at the Pearly Gates of Heaven, and whispering softly with a tear, "Welcome home...." What else can you say to such things? What comforts can you give, or find in mere words of pain, or loss, or sorrow? Seven brave heroes lost their lives in the morning hours on this cold day, minutes away from where they call home after spending sixteen days flying high above the sky, soaring on wings that took them higher than eagles could dare reach, higher than heaven itself, slowly drifting back down to their earthly roots before taking one final flight into the heavens, there to touch the face of God. What else can you say? They are in good hands now, for they are in God's hands, now and for all eternity. Rest in peace, my friends. 01 February 2003 Rick D. Husband, Mission Commander Kalpana Chawla, Mission Specialist William C. McCool, Shuttle Pilot David M. Brown, Mission Specialist Laurel B. Clark, Mission Specialist Michael P. Anderson, Mission Specialist Ilan Ramon, Payload Specialist