Comments on Columbia Loss by Russian Space Officials

At 15.00 N.F. Moiseev, Co-Chairman of State Committee, Secretary of State,
First Deputy Director General of Rosaviacosmos, and Yu.P. Semenov, Technical
Manager of Russian Manned Programs, General Designer of S.P. Korolev RSC
Energia, took part in mourning ceremony in memory of STS-107 Columbia crew
held in the Mission Control Center (MCC) near Moscow.

Phillip Cleary, NASA Representative at US Embassy in Russia; Alexander
Wershboy, US Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in Russia; Arkady
Milman, Ad Interim Charge d’Affaires of Israel in Russia; N. F. Moiseev,
Secretary of State, First Deputy Director General of Rosaviacosmos; Yu.P.
Semenov, Technical Manager of Russian Manned Programs, General Designer of
S.P. Korolev RSC Energia; N.A. Anfimov, Director of TsNIIMash, spoke during
the ceremony.

They said, that disaster of Manned Space Shuttle was not only a tragedy of
American and Israelitish peoples, but also a deepest shock for all
International Space Station (ISS) partners, which are a common coordinated
teem of like-minded persons during this large-scale space program
realization for the benefit of mankind. Everybody unanimously remarked, that
space exploration was always realized on the verge of reality and man’s
perception. Therefore, the courageous people initiated themselves into such
a difficult and risky work, highly qualified specialists take part in
realization of manned programs by the separate responsibility of the States,
rocket & space industry headquarters, such as Boeing (US) and S.P. Korolev
RSC Energia (Russia), as well as other leading foreign and Russian
enterprises, worked in cooperation on the International Manned Space
Program.

Speakers especially remarked, that ISS was an unique man’s project in the
beginning of XXI’nd century and the station operation progress would be an
adequate memorial for dead heroes.

The members of MCC-Moscow Main Operational Management Group and specialists
from American consultative group operated at MCC-Moscow, Russian cosmonauts
and US astronauts, which were closed friends with the Columbia crew members,
attended the mourning ceremony.

All attendees stood in memory of dead astronauts and presented their
condolences to their colleges, nearest and dearest. During the ceremony the
national anthems of USA, Israel and Russia were performed. The Saint Father
Stephens presented at ceremony served the mess.

After the mourning ceremony Yu.P. Semenov, General Designer of RSC Energia,
Alexander Wershboy, US Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in
Russia and Phillip Cleary, NASA Representative at US Embassy in Russia,
exchanged of views regarding top-priority steps, which are to be made to
stabilize the situation during performance of activity about the ISS in
2003, as well as necessity of making of a decision by the project partners
as soon as possible in order to approve the proposals prepared during a
mutual consultations of Russian/US working groups.

Then Yu.P. Semenov, General Designer of RSC Energia, as well as the
representatives of other Russian entities presented their condolences with
this tragic event to the US party in the crape book.