Space shuttle Columbia disaster

Space shuttle Columbia broke apart in flames as it streaked over Texas toward its landing strip this morning, killing all seven astronauts, six Americans and an Israeli. Please use this area to share your feelings and condolences.
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The glory to those connected to space flight can never be over-shadowed by the ever-present possi-bility of tragedy. These men and women are the pinnacle of their respective specialties and are the most qualified to be the select few to parti-cipate in the space program. They know, only too well, that there exists no guarantee of tomorrow while training and participating in such a feat as space exploration. They will be missed, but their trials and tribulations will guide their fellow workers and citizens of the world forever!

T.C., Jacksonville

It is a tragedy of an unspeakable dimension. The Seven who gave up their lives in the pursuit of Science will inspire legions of followers. They have willingly faced the dangers in the quest to Know. I'am sure they knew in part and prophesied in part and I trust they will know now. God Speed and God Bless Humanity !!!

MS, India

I grew up in Framingham MA with the family of 1986 "teachernaut" Christa McAuliffe. I graduated from Framingham State as an educator. I was in Florida in January 1986 and watched the Challenger disaster. Today is a horrible flashback to that time. My thoughts and prayers go out not only to the family, friends, and co-workers of the Columbia crew, but also to the loved ones and friends of the Challenger crew who are re-living their nightmare 17 years later. May God hold all their souls in the palm of his hand.

Ann, Dedham

With prayer...tears and deep sadness i thank these latest seven people for having the courage and devout passion to do what i and so many others can only look at in awe and pride. Politics has no seat in this arena, what is needed more than anything is our support for everyone involved and our most reverent thoughts especially for the families of these Space Heros

Daniel, Braintree, MA

Our hearts and prayers are with the families of the astronauts & the members of the crew.

Arthur, Stoughton, MA

Seven bright, vibrant, enthusiastic lives gone. Such a terrible tragedy. My sincerest condolences to their families. This is a terrible loss for all of us.

Sharon, Boston

If we are to truly honor the seven Columbia astronauts with more than the words of grief that naturally flow in the wake of tragedy, we must move forward into space and continue their work. The very reason these brave men and women faced the risks of space travel was to help all of us gain knowledge. There will be some who may say we need to pull back from space and the space program. This is not the time to do so, nor should we do so. What would our world be like if the early explorers had weighed anchor and gone home in the face of seeming disaster? These seven astronauts knew the risks, flew into space knowing those risks and pushed the boundaries of knowledge. Their legacy will be what we learned from their downloaded data before the accident. It will also be what we learn as long as we continue to go outside our earthly boundaries.

Stu, Columbus, Ohio

I feel so bad for the people onboard the Columbia space ship and for the people who know them

jonathan, brockton

To these partiots, to these friends we may have not met we extend our sincere thanks and gratitude to you. Your courage to better mankind will not be forgotten. Our hearts go out to your families.

Glenn, Dover, MA

I am stunned and heartbroken. I am part of a grieving nation. My prayers are foremost with the families of the seven astronaughts. I remember exactly what I was doing when the tragedy occured - I also sadly remember what I was doing when the Challenger crew was lost. I admit that I didn't pay much attention to the comings and goings of the shuttles. They went up and they came down. So uneventful that I forgot how dangerous and risky the flights can be. Today's tragedy reminded me of how fragile life really is and that at any given moment it's gone. We are a resilient nation and it will take some time for us to move beyond this tragedy. But we will.

Phyllis, Andover