spacetoday.net: Bush, O'Keefe remember crew at memorial

Posted: Wed, Feb 5, 2003, 5:52 AM ET (1052 GMT)
President Bush at Columbia memorial service (White House)

President George Bush and NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe honored the crew of the space shuttle Columbia at a memorial service in Houston Tuesday. Bush, O'Keefe, chief astronaut Kent Rominger, and other spoke at the one-hour memorial, held outdoors on the grounds of the Johnson Space Center before a crow of 10,000 to 15,000 people. Included in the crew were former astronauts John Glenn and Neil Armstrong. The speakers, including Bush, took time to talk about every member of the seven-person crew. Bush, calling exploration "a desire written in the human heart", emphasized that the space program would continue in the wake of the tragedy. Another memorial service is scheduled for Thursday at the National Cathedral in Washington, with Vice President Dick Cheney expected to attend.