My Tribute to the Columbia
by Anton Kelly
I’ve always been fascinated by space and space flight. Pictures of galaxies and rockets covered my bedroom walls when I was a child, and for as long as I can remember I’ve followed the world’s space programs with great interest. A few years ago I looked on in envy when a wealthy American paid twenty million US dollars to spend a few days in orbit with the Russians. Who knows, if I ever get rich enough maybe I’ll do the same, but in the meantime I’ve made it one of my life goals to travel to Cape Canaveral one day to witness a shuttle launch.
These days my 114mm reflector telescope reveals many wonders, but the swift smooth passage overhead of the bright speck of light that is a shuttle or the international space station always diverts my attention from any mere planet, star or nebula. For me, man’s ability to go into space represents the pinnacle of human achievement. To harness and release such awesome power, and strap seven astronauts to it as it hurls into space, is the ultimate expression of man’s understanding and mastery of that most rational and noble of pursuits, science.
Terribly, what was supposed to be a routine landing for the Columbia was instead seared across the clear blue sky, a man-made shooting star. The speeds involved are mind-boggling – as she plunged into the atmosphere and broke up, the Columbia was 63 kilometres high and travelling at more than 20,000 kph. To put it in perspective, that’s almost 6 kilometres a second.
I found President Bush’s reference to a “creator who names the stars” in his subsequent address a disgrace. Religion has done nothing but shackle human progress, and talk of it has no place here. Equally, this is not the time to debate the privatisation of space programs.
From where I’m sitting, the seven astronauts who perished in the flames of re-entry are heroes. They were all high achievers in their chosen fields, and they died doing what they loved. I hope that if I was to die tomorrow, my loved ones could say the same about me.
Bush’s tribute should have read, “In seeking the stars, they became stars themselves. They truly had the total passion for the total height.” I mourn the loss of the Columbia and her brave crew.
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