Message of Tragedy and Hope – The American Society for Gravitational and Space Biology

The American Society for Gravitational and Space Biology expresses its heartfelt condolences to the families of the seven brave astronauts who died on the STS-107 mission on Columbia, Saturday, February 1, 2003. We also wish to extend our deep sympathy to the NASA personnel, international partners, and contractors who supported the mission.

We also wish to express our most sincere support and sympathy to the scientists whose work was the focus of the mission. Our thoughts go out to all the Principal Investigators, Co-Investigators, supporting scientists, graduate students, and students from around the globe who lost good friends. We know that you all waited a very long time for this flight opportunity. We know that when a scientist’s research is chosen for a shuttle flight it is a crowning moment in life, and an incredibly demanding time for you and your families. We know that when the shuttle launches your hearts, dreams, and hopes are all the more poignant as the crew is going to space to do your work, to complete your experiment, to answer the questions you have asked, and to take risks on behalf of us all.

We also want to express our sympathy and support for the many school students from countries world-wide who participated in STS-107. We honor your curiosity and your great interest and enthusiasm for space flight. We sincerely hope that you will continue your scientific studies, continue to work with your teachers and continue to ask questions that can only be answered in space.

The great number of science experiments conducted during STS-107 were, by all accounts, successful. This was, after all, our long-awaited shuttle research flight: your research was the focus of the mission. The instruments worked, the procedures worked, the crew was elated, and the results were sure to be useful. We urge you to complete your research as you can, and publish the results in honor of the crew.

>