“The agency will honor members of the NASA family who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery, including the crews of Apollo 1 and space shuttles Challenger and Columbia, leading up to, and during, the agency’s annual Day of Remembrance Thursday, Jan. 26. This year’s NASA Day of Remembrance precedes the 20th anniversary of the Columbia accident on Wednesday, Feb. 1.” More

Last Thursday on 27 January, 2022 NASA marked its Day of Remembrance. A time that is set aside to remember those astronauts who died in the line of duty. On this episode of the Terranauts podcast I talk with Helene and Chris Hadfield about the Day of Remembrance, about their memories of some of the crew who did not make it home from space. We also talk about what remembering […]

From 2011: Scott Parazynski, Chairman of the Challenger Center Board of Directors sitting in the jetstream on the summit of Mt. Everest, May 2009: “I tied off a pair of flags I’d made to honor astronauts and cosmonauts who had perished in the line of duty (Apollo 1, Challenger, Columbia, Soyuz 1 and Soyuz 11), as I could think of no finer place on Earth to hang them. In the […]

For some strange reason #NASA HQ will not allow media or the public to attend the NASA Remembrance Day event at Arlington National Cemetery. They cite COVID – despite the fact that everything occurs outdoors in a large, open area. This event has been open to all for decades. Sad. pic.twitter.com/caxsx1dGyL — NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) January 26, 2022 NASA Pays Tribute to Fallen Heroes with Day of Remembrance “Various NASA […]

Keith’s update: NASA just released this statement. After decades of holding an event at Arlington National Cemetery, NASA will not allow the public or media to attend the event at this large, outdoor public location due to COVID concerns. NASA Pays Tribute to Fallen Heroes with Day of Remembrance “Jurczyk will lead an observance at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, which will begin with a traditional wreath-laying ceremony at the […]

Sadly with all the fluff on NASA TV, no one has noted that this is the 18th anniversary of the launch of Columbia on the ill-fated STS-107 flight. Has the agency forgotten those lessons? Or is the seriousness of this endeavor too much for this generation to face? — Wayne Hale (@waynehale) January 16, 2021

Columbia: Thinking Back – Looking Ahead, Excerpt from “New Moon Rising”, by Frank Sietzen, Jr. and Keith Cowing “At the end of the event, Rona Ramon, Ilan’s widow, spoke last. Steeling her emotions with grace and clarity, she spoke elegantly and briefly. She thanked all for coming. And then she talked of her husband, and the flight of the lost shuttle. “Our mission in space is not over” she told […]

Couple who died in Oro Valley crash were parents of astronaut Laurel Clark, Tucson.com “The couple that died in a crash in Oro Valley on Wednesday were the mother and stepfather of an astronaut who died in the space shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003. Margory and Richard Brown, both 85, died Wednesday morning after a crash on West Tangerine Road at North La Cañada Drive.”

Columbia: Thinking Back – Looking Ahead, Excerpt from “New Moon Rising”, by Frank Sietzen, Jr. and Keith Cowing “At the end of the event, Rona Ramon, Ilan’s widow, spoke last. Steeling her emotions with grace and clarity, she spoke elegantly and briefly. She thanked all for coming. And then she talked of her husband, and the flight of the lost shuttle. “Our mission in space is not over” she told […]

NASA’s annual Day of Remembrance Postponed “NASA’s annual Day of Remembrance reminds us to reflect on not just the sacrifices that have been made by our fallen family, friends, and co-workers, but also to remind us of our core values of safety, integrity, and teamwork as we carry out our history-making missions. Unfortunately, most of our NASA family are on furlough and we recognize your participation in many of the […]

Rona Ramon, Widow of Israel’s First Astronaut Ilan Ramon, Dies at 54, Haaretz “Rona Ramon, the widow of Israel’s first and only astronaut, died of pancreatic cancer Monday at age 54. Ramon’s husband, Ilan Ramon, was a crew member on America’s 2003 Columbia space shuttle mission when the spacecraft blew up, killing all on board. Rona Ramon later lost her son Asaf, an Israel Air Force fighter pilot, in a […]

Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon tragically died on the Columbia Space Shuttle. His widow, Rona, honored his memory by creating a foundation that is inspiring and educating young adults and students across Israel. It was such an honor to meet this amazing woman. pic.twitter.com/h0Vz5DS1OE — Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) July 14, 2018 NASA will consider sending another Israeli astronaut into space, Times Of Israel “NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine met Thursday with Israel’s […]

Columbia: Thinking Back – Looking Ahead, Excerpt from “New Moon Rising”, by Frank Sietzen, Jr. and Keith Cowing “At the end of the event, Rona Ramon, Ilan’s widow, spoke last. Steeling her emotions with grace and clarity, she spoke elegantly and briefly. She thanked all for coming. And then she talked of her husband, and the flight of the lost shuttle. “Our mission in space is not over” she told […]

Ancient Memorials for Modern Space Explorers, SpaceRef “A week prior to my departure I got a call from June Scobee Rogers, the widow of Challenger’s commander Dick Scobee. She was thrilled with what we were doing and asked if we’d like to place a few mementos in the inukshuk. She then described what she was sending. A day or so later a package arrived. As I opened it I told […]

Keith Cowing’s Devon Island Journal 20 July 2003: Arctic Memorials and Starship Yearnings “Our task was a somewhat solemn one. We were here to erect a memorial to Columbia astronaut Michael Anderson. Two memorials have already been erected by members of the HMP Team. The memorials take the form of an inukshuk, a stone sculpture in rough human form used by the Inuit to mark territory. These stone structures serve […]

Columbia: Thinking Back – Looking Ahead, Excerpt from “New Moon Rising”, by Frank Sietzen, Jr. and Keith Cowing “At the end of the event, Rona Ramon, Ilan’s widow, spoke last. Steeling her emotions with grace and clarity, she spoke elegantly and briefly. She thanked all for coming. And then she talked of her husband, and the flight of the lost shuttle. “Our mission in space is not over” she told […]

NASA Administrator Message: Day of Remembrance – Jan. 28, 2015 “Today we remember and give thanks for the lives and contributions of those who gave all trying to push the boundaries of human achievement. On this solemn occasion, we pause in our normal routines and remember the STS-107 Columbia crew; the STS-51L Challenger crew; the Apollo 1 crew; Mike Adams, the first in-flight fatality of the space program as he […]

Loss of Signal: Aeromedical Lessons Learned from the STS-107 Columbia Space Shuttle Mishap “Loss of Signal presents the aeromedical lessons learned from the Columbia accident that will enhance crew safety and survival on human space flight missions. These lessons were presented to limited audiences at three separate Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA) conferences. As we are embarking on the development of new spacefaring vehicles through both government and commercial efforts, the […]