Ten years ago, the shuttle Columbia crumbled to Earth after 16 days in the heavens. As the shuttle passed over Tyler, Texas en route to a routine landing in Florida, its left wing failed to withstand the heat of reentry. The craft burst into more than 83,000 pieces, showering the land below for hundreds of miles. The seven astronauts aboard were killed.
To honor their memory and the loss of previous crews from the shuttle Challenger in 1986 and Apollo 1 in 1967, NASA scheduled memorials for its annual Day of Remembrance at Arlington National Cemetery and at the Space Mirror Memorial in the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.
The nation's history and its involvement in space exploration and the race to put a man on the moon heralds the American exceptionalism that we often talk about. It reminds us that we can focus our resolve on an issue of national importance and accomplish our goal. America can do great things and will once again when the American people demand it from our leadership.
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