2003 Assembly Joint Resolution 20
ENROLLED JOINT RESOLUTION
Relating to: the lives and tragic deaths of the Columbia space shuttle astronauts.
Whereas, the Columbia space shuttle's crew, comprised of men and women from different nations and diverse backgrounds who represented the dreams and aspirations of our nation and other nations and who were dedicated to expanding the boundaries of scientific research and space flight exploration; and
Whereas, their 16-day mission was pure science in which 80 experiments were performed; and
Whereas, on February 1, 2003, while the space shuttle Columbia was coming home from another successful mission, it disintegrated high above the Texas and Louisiana skies as it descended toward a landing at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida; and
Whereas, the Columbia is the first space vehicle to be lost during reentry since NASA's inception in 1958; and
Whereas, the wreck of the Columbia just minutes from landing tragically reminded the people of the United States and the world that journeying into space remains a perilous endeavor; and
Whereas, with the tragic loss of the Columbia, the people are also reminded of the 1986 loss of the space shuttle Challenger and its crew; and
Whereas, the Columbia's commander, U.S. Air Force Colonel Rick D. Husband had harbored an ambition to be an astronaut since boyhood; and
Whereas, as the mission neared its end, Columbia's commander called for a moment of silence so the crew could mark the 17th anniversary of the explosion of the Challenger during its launch; and
Whereas, U.S. Navy Commander William C. McCool, the Columbia's pilot, was making his first trip into space; and
Whereas, U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Michael Anderson, the shuttle's payload commander, U.S. Navy Captain David Brown, one of the Columbia's mission specialists, and Mission Specialist Kalpana Chawla, aerospace engineer, were veterans of earlier space missions and related activities; and
Whereas, Ilan Ramon was Israel's first astronaut; and
Whereas, Wisconsin was directly affected by the loss of U.S. Navy Commander Laurel Clark, the Columbia's mission specialist, who considered Racine her hometown and who received both a B.S. degree and medical degree from UW-Madison; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the assembly, the senate concurring, That the members of the Wisconsin legislature honor the memory of these 7 astronauts, express their sorrow at their deaths, share in the memory of their achievements, and extend their condolences to their families and friends; and, be it further
Resolved, That the assembly chief clerk shall provide copies of this joint resolution to Ron Dittemore, the shuttle program manager at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas; to the families of each Columbia astronaut; to Sean O'Keefe, administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); to the Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C.; and to each member of the Wisconsin congressional delegation.
