Grief, Sympathy & Aftermath

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NASA Sets Return-to-Flight Plan in Motion; Addresses Satellite Imagery Questions
NASA’s top space flight official ordered the space shuttle team to begin the planning activities for returning the space shuttle fleet to flight as early as this autumn.

Arlington Cemetery Okayed For Columbia Memorial
The U.S. House of Representatives' Science Committee today passed legislation authorizing the construction of a memorial to the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia at Arlington National Cemetery, just outside Washington, D.C.

Columbia Aftermath: The Muddied Waters of Clear Lake
There are many after effects from Columbia's catastrophic reentry, some symbolic in nature. For one, the NASA culture and its human spaceflight venture are now feeling the heat of public and political scrutiny.

Astronaut's Husband: NASA Not to Blame
The families of the seven astronauts killed in the Columbia explosion in February do not blame NASA, the husband of Indian-born astronaut Kalpana Chawla said Thursday.

Widow of Shuttle Commander Supports Probe
The widow of the space shuttle Columbia's commander said Thursday that she strongly supports continued space exploration and believes investigators will find the cause of the accident.

Columbia Astronaut Laurel Blair Clark Buried at Arlington
Her husband and their 8-year-old son would sprint past her in a race to the mountaintop, and Laurel Blair Clark would amble behind, absorbing each smell and sight nature could offer in the hikes she loved to take.

NASA Recovery Hinges on Shuttle Probe
In the wake of the Columbia loss, the House Science Committee is planning a top to bottom examination of NASA, forcing the space agency to come to grips with the true dangers of flying the space shuttle.

NASA: Give Crew Better Chances in Future
No matter what the outcome of the Columbia accident investigation, NASA is already taking a much harder look at ways for astronauts to inspect and repair damaged thermal tiles on space shuttles in orbit.

Remains of Shuttle Columbia Astronauts Identified
The remains of all seven members of Columbia's crew have been positively identified, NASA officials said Thursday.

Kennedy Space Center Remembers Columbia and Crew
Those closest to the shuttle’s launches and landings shared a profound sorrow today over Columbia’s seven fallen astronauts while celebrating their lives.

India Renames Satellite in Memory of Columbia Astronaut
Metsat, the weather satellite India launched in 2002 has been renamed Kalpana-1 in memory of India-born Kalpana Chawla, one of the seven astronauts who died in the Columbia tragedy Feb. 1 – which will now become an annual day of official observance in India.

Columbia Families Could Face Battle in Lawsuits
Depending on the outcome of the Columbia investigation, the astronauts' families may find their best case for financial compensation can be made in the court of public opinion, aviation attorneys say.

Bush Leads Solemn Tribute to Shuttle Crew
Led by President Bush, thousands of grieving space workers and their families, friends, neighbors and political leaders paid a solemn farewell Tuesday to the seven Columbia astronauts.

Astronaut's Daughter Consoles Children
Kathie Scobee Fulgham knows well what the children of the Columbia astronauts are going through. She, too, struggled with the scary, unanswered questions and the horrifying images again and again when her father died on the space shuttle Challenger.

Email from Astronaut Laurel Clark on Day Before Disaster
The day before she died, Clark sent an e-mail home to family and friends telling them about the wonders of spaceflight.

Schools Wrestle with Columbia Disaster
Teachers deal with the difficult question of what to tell kids.

Fund Plans to Support Columbia Children
A fund that raised about $1 million to assist the children of the Challenger disaster in 1986 will launch an effort to do the same for survivors of the Columbia crash, the board chairman said Sunday.

Space Station Crew Grieves for Lost Comrades, Soldiers On
The three-man crew at the International Space Station was grieving but still proud to be on its mission after being told about the Columbia disaster by a NASA official.

World Leaders Send Regrets Over Shuttle
A day after the space shuttle Columbia burned up on re-entry, more world leaders sent condolences to the United States and the families of the seven crew members who died.

Astronaut's Death Brings More Grief to Israel
Just as the successful launch of NASA Flight STS 107 served to unite disparate parts of this fragmented society in a swell of national pride, its abrupt and tragic ending also had its own coalescent effect on the citizens of Israel.

World Leaders Pay Tribute to Shuttle Crew
British Prime Minister Tony Blair paid tribute Saturday to the seven ``courageous'' crew members of the space shuttle Columbia as leaders around the world mourned the astronauts' deaths.

President Bush Remarks on Shuttle Tragedy
The complete text of the president's statement.

Full Text of Statement by NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe on Shuttle Columbia Loss
The complete text a statement made Saturday by NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe.

Nation, World Reacts to the Loss of Columbia and Crew
President Bush, along with the nation and the world expressed tremendous grief today over the loss of seven astronauts aboard Space Shuttle Columbia Saturday, while NASA leadership promised a full investigation of the mishap and made it clear that the space program must forge ahead.

Israel Mourns Space Shuttle Disaster
Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon, gave a troubled country something to cheer about when he blasted off last month on the space shuttle Columbia. The shuttle's disintegration just before landing Saturday brought back a familiar sense of dread.

India Mourns Loss of Astronaut Chawla
Indians mourned the loss of Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian-born woman in space, Saturday after the U.S. space shuttle Columbia broke apart over Texas minutes before it was to land in Florida.

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