On Tuesday, Jan. 28, the men and women of the space shuttle Columbia gathered at 11:39 a.m. to… On Tuesday, Jan. 28, the men and women of the space shuttle Columbia gathered at 11:39 a.m. to hold a moment of silence for the crew of the space shuttle Challenger, who were killed at that time in 1986. During the brief service, flight commander Rick Husband noted, “They made the ultimate sacrifice, giving their lives and service to their country and for all mankind.” In future missions, astronauts to come will speak the same words in reference to Husband and his crew – bold, intelligent people who gave everything to the cause of exploration.

To be certain that his group was nothing short of perfect, Husband took them on an 11-day survival trip in the mountains of Wyoming. The crew scaled 13,000-foot Wind River Peak with each member toting a 75-pound backpack. They spent every minute of every day side-by-side, and came out of the experience as a team. While in space, Husband e-mailed a friend, saying, “I’m so proud of my crew, I could pop.”

The group certainly was worthy of pride. Pilot William McCool was an eagle scout who graduated second in his class from the Naval Academy. He was so excited to be going into space that he invited practically everyone he knew to the shuttle’s launch, including a doctor he stayed with during a trip to Switzerland and the contractor who built his house.

Payload commander Michael Anderson earned a physics degree from the University of Washington. He served as a pilot in the Air Force and joined the space program in 1994, and four years later he completed a trip to the Mir space station.

In 1997, Mission Specialist Kalpana Chawla made her first trip into space and finished with 6.5 million miles of travel experience. She had strong roots to her native India, and on Saturday night, friends and family had planned a party at her old school in Karnal to watch the shuttle land. Mission Specialist David Brown worked his way through college, medical school, the navy and a brief stint as a unicycle rider in the circus. He documented all the team’s travels with a video camera, and its lens was the last thing visible from the outside as the shuttle doors closed for launch.

Mission Specialist Laurel Clark was in charge of medical and biological research on the mission. She was a devoted mother and scientist, and she enjoyed parachuting and scuba diving in her spare time. Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon was in charge of several experiments during the mission, but his most striking contribution came as a symbol of pride to his countrymen. An Israeli newspaper headline dubbed him, “First Hebrew astronaut since Elijah.” He was the pride and joy of his people in a time when hope for Israelis is hard to come by.

The astronauts of the Columbia mission will always be remembered as great scientists, explorers and people. The Earth suffered a great loss this weekend, but hopefully, in memory of the astronauts and their determination, the Earth will continue to achieve great feats in examining the universe.