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thatcrazycajunFive years ago this day, the second of America's two Space Shuttle Orbiters to be lost with all hands, Columbia, exploded in the skies over east Texas as she was streaking homeward toward Florida's Kennedy Space Center. This culminates a week filled with remembrances of space-exploration fatalities that my dear friend wcg informs me is often referred to by those who work in this risk-fraught field as "Dead Astronauts Week." (Monday's entry noted the 22nd anniversary of Challenger's destruction, and Sunday's 41st of the Apollo I test-sequence fire that killed its three.) I prefer to call it "Heroes of Space Exploration Week," and back of the cut are the reasons why.
To these and all the rest who died paving our road to the stars, we pay due respects this week, and each year at this time...and in their names, we continue on that road—for doing otherwise would be a desecration of their supreme sacrifice. That people like these, even after these disasters, still freely choose to strap themselves onto what is basically a gigantic flying bomb and hurl themselves into the airless, freezing void for all our sakes is still astonishing and awe-inspiring to me...and I know God-damned good and well I'm not the only one.
And in closing, a pointer to this music video of Columbia's crew and their memorial service, held in Washington, DC's magnificent National Cathedral five years ago Wednesday. I know of no finer tribute to these brave people's memories than this song, and no more glorious voice to sing it than that of multi-Grammy winner Patti LaBelle (who, by sheerest coincidence, was just here last night for a Hands On Atlanta benefit concert). Just try and watch it without crying; go on, I double-dog dare you.
wcg informs me is often referred to by those who work in this risk-fraught field as "Dead Astronauts Week." (Monday's entry noted the 22nd anniversary of Challenger's destruction, and Sunday's 41st of the Apollo I test-sequence fire that killed its three.) I prefer to call it "Heroes of Space Exploration Week," and back of the cut are the reasons why.Because we must never, ever forget their names...
IN MEMORY FOREVER HONORED:
Apollo I, AS-204 - 1/27/1967
Lt. Col. Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom, USAF - Command Pilot
Lt. Col. Edward Higgins White II, USAF - Senior Pilot
Lt. Cmdr. Roger Bruce Chaffee, USN - Pilot
Soyuz 1 - 4/24/1967
Col. Vladimir Mikhaylovich Komarov, Soviet Air Force
Soyuz 11 - 6/30/1971
Lt. Col. Georgiy Timofeyevich Dobrovolskiy, SAF - Commander
Vladislav Nikolayevich Volkov, Flight Engineer
Viktor Ivanovich Patsayev - Test Engineer
Space Shuttle Challenger, STS-51-L - 1/28/1986
Lt. Col. Francis Richard "Dick" Scobee, USAF - Commander
Capt. Michael John "Mike" Smith, USN - Pilot
Judith Arlene Resnik, Ph.D. - Mission Specialist
Lt. Col. Ellison Shoji Onizuka - USAF, Mission Specialist
Ronald Ervin McNair, Ph.D. - Mission Specialist
Capt. Gregory Bruce Jarvis, USAF - Payload Specialist
Sharon Christa Corrigan McAuliffe - Spaceflight Participant (Teacher in Space)
Space Shuttle Columbia, STS-107 - 2/1/2003
Col. Richard Douglas "Rick" Husband, USAF - Mission Commander
Lt. Col. Michael Phillip "Mike" Anderson, USAF - Payload Commander
Cmdr. William Cameron "Willie" McCool, USN - Mission Pilot
Capt. David McDowell Brown, USN - Mission Specialist
Kalpana Chawla, PhD - Mission Specialist
Capt. Laurel Blair Salton Clark, USN - Mission Specialist
Col. Ilan Ramon, Israeli Air Force - Payload Specialist, 1st Israeli national in space
IN MEMORY FOREVER HONORED:
Apollo I, AS-204 - 1/27/1967
Lt. Col. Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom, USAF - Command Pilot
Lt. Col. Edward Higgins White II, USAF - Senior Pilot
Lt. Cmdr. Roger Bruce Chaffee, USN - Pilot
Soyuz 1 - 4/24/1967
Col. Vladimir Mikhaylovich Komarov, Soviet Air Force
Soyuz 11 - 6/30/1971
Lt. Col. Georgiy Timofeyevich Dobrovolskiy, SAF - Commander
Vladislav Nikolayevich Volkov, Flight Engineer
Viktor Ivanovich Patsayev - Test Engineer
Space Shuttle Challenger, STS-51-L - 1/28/1986
Lt. Col. Francis Richard "Dick" Scobee, USAF - Commander
Capt. Michael John "Mike" Smith, USN - Pilot
Judith Arlene Resnik, Ph.D. - Mission Specialist
Lt. Col. Ellison Shoji Onizuka - USAF, Mission Specialist
Ronald Ervin McNair, Ph.D. - Mission Specialist
Capt. Gregory Bruce Jarvis, USAF - Payload Specialist
Sharon Christa Corrigan McAuliffe - Spaceflight Participant (Teacher in Space)
Space Shuttle Columbia, STS-107 - 2/1/2003
Col. Richard Douglas "Rick" Husband, USAF - Mission Commander
Lt. Col. Michael Phillip "Mike" Anderson, USAF - Payload Commander
Cmdr. William Cameron "Willie" McCool, USN - Mission Pilot
Capt. David McDowell Brown, USN - Mission Specialist
Kalpana Chawla, PhD - Mission Specialist
Capt. Laurel Blair Salton Clark, USN - Mission Specialist
Col. Ilan Ramon, Israeli Air Force - Payload Specialist, 1st Israeli national in space
To these and all the rest who died paving our road to the stars, we pay due respects this week, and each year at this time...and in their names, we continue on that road—for doing otherwise would be a desecration of their supreme sacrifice. That people like these, even after these disasters, still freely choose to strap themselves onto what is basically a gigantic flying bomb and hurl themselves into the airless, freezing void for all our sakes is still astonishing and awe-inspiring to me...and I know God-damned good and well I'm not the only one.
And in closing, a pointer to this music video of Columbia's crew and their memorial service, held in Washington, DC's magnificent National Cathedral five years ago Wednesday. I know of no finer tribute to these brave people's memories than this song, and no more glorious voice to sing it than that of multi-Grammy winner Patti LaBelle (who, by sheerest coincidence, was just here last night for a Hands On Atlanta benefit concert). Just try and watch it without crying; go on, I double-dog dare you.