Families, friends remember Columbia crew

Mourners gather at a memorial service for the seven Columbia astronauts Tuesday at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

President Bush was among thousands who attended a memorial service Tuesday for the astronauts lost in the Columbia tragedy. The ceremony was held at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, where the last communication by the astronauts was heard. Bush said that mankind was in the astronauts' debt.

As relatives, coworkers, and friends of those lost aboard Columbia gathered, they expressed their feelings on the tragedy. Reed Murry, who attended the ceremony, said that he felt it gave everyone a chance to come together and "put things to rest in their own way." He also said that NASA is a family, indicating the closeness shared by employees of the organization.

NASA engineer Penny Stanch worked closely with astronauts Laurel Clark and David Brown. She said she regretted the disagreements they had in working together, but that she realized they were all working under pressure toward a common goal. "They were all great people and it hurts, but we go on. We know the risks, and we try to increase the safety all the time," Stanch said.

Nearly 15,000 people attended the memorial service, sharing memories and pledging a unique sense of responsibility. NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe said, "Our duty now is to provide comfort to the brave families of the Columbia crew - the families who take so much pride in their loved ones' remarkable accomplishments. We also have a tremendous duty to honor the legacy of those fallen heroes by finding out what caused the loss of the Columbia and its crew."

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President Bush also acknowledged the depth of the loss, but he promised that the space program would continue. He offered "the respect and gratitude of the people of the United States" to the families, friends, and coworkers of the astronauts.

Capt. Kent Rominger, an astronaut at Johnson Space Center, gave a tribute to each of the lost astronauts by name: "Rick, Willie, Mike, K.C., Laurel, Dave, and Ilan-I know that you are listening. Please know you are in our hearts, and we will always smile when we think of you," he said.

President Bush called the memorial a chance to "remember not only one moment of tragedy but seven lives of great purpose and achievement."