One year

One year since we lost them, our seven brave explorers who perished in a blaze of furious, terrible fire.

U.S. Air Force Col. Rick Husband, 07/12/57 - 02/01/03

U.S. Navy Cmdr. William McCool, 09/23/61 - 02/01/03

U.S. Navy Capt. David Brown, 04/16/56 - 02/01/03

Kalpana Chawla, Ph.D., 07/01/61 - 02/01/03

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Anderson, 12/25/59 - 02/01/03

Laurel Clark, M.D., 03/10/61 - 02/01/03

Israeli Air Force Col. Ilan Ramon, 06/20/54 - 02/01/03

We remember them. We mourn them. We honor them.

We hopefully continue to follow their lead, their passion, their dream.

A year ago, we lost seven explorers. The crew of Columbia -- Rick, Willie, Mike, Dave, K.C., Laurel and Ilan -- were dedicated to exploration. They went into space understanding both the inherent risks and the enormous potential benefits, and enthusiastically carried out their mission. The STS-107 crew embodied a calling that is deeply rooted in the human soul -- the desire to climb to the top of the mountain, to travel beyond the horizon, and to comprehend and appreciate the whole of our universe. As we reflect on their achievements and their courage, we must honor their dedication and their humanity, and begin once again to look forward, onward and upward.

-- Jim Lovell