I know this is kind of a slow response after what happened, but my heart goes out to the family, friends, and collegues of those aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. Their bravery and passion in their research is more than admirable, and even for someone like me, who knows so little, can't help but to feel a bit defeated in a way. This is an excerpt from the Houston Chronicle: "Another space shuttle tragedy stunned the nation Saturday when Columbia disintegrated in a horrific aerial display across the blue skies of Texas. The shuttle broke apart at 8 a.m., 16 minutes before it was to land at Florida's Kennedy Space Center, sending the nation reeling into a now-familiar ritual of grief as flags across the country were lowered to half-staff. President Bush, with a possible war against Iraq on his mind, cut short his weekend in Camp David and returned to Washington to lead the nation in mourning. "The Columbia is lost," the president said. Grieving families, waiting at the shuttle landing strip in Florida for what was to be a joyous welcome home, were returned to Houston... Columbia, the space agency's oldest shuttle, was returning from its 28th mission and represented the 113th shuttle flight. The loss of the spacecraft and its crew occurred almost 17 years to the day after the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff Jan. 28, 1986, killing all seven crew members. It was also the first time in the 42-year history of the nation's space program that a vehicle was lost during re-entry, descent or landing." -By TONY FREEMANTLE and MARK CARREAU Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle