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George
Bush Address
Response
to Shuttle Tragedy
February 1, 2003
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"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' (Isaiah 40:25-26).
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."
--George W. Bush
In
Memory of
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