In Memoriam

By a quirk of fate, three major events in space flight happened at this time of year namely.

On the 27th of Jan 1967 Apollo Astronaut's Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chafee sadly lost their lives in a fire aboard Apollo One.

On the 28th of Jan 1986 we lost Challenger on takeoff with the loss of Francis Scobee, Michael Smith, Judith Resnick, Ellison Onuzuka, Ronald McNair, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe.

On the 1st of Feb 2003 we lost Columbia on re-entry with the loss of Rick Husband, William McCool, Michael Anderson, Ilan Ramon, Kalpana Chawla, David Brown, and Laural Clark.

I myself watched the TV with horror for the last two and wanted to pause for a moment to remember their names and say a quick poem.

High Flight Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung My eager craft through footless halls of air. Up, up the long delirious, burning blue, I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace Where never lark, or even eagle flew - And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod The high untresspassed sanctity of space, Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

Pilot Officer Gillespie Magee No 412 squadron, RCAF Killed 11 December 1941

Rest in Peace.