Washington, Feb 5, 2003 - The Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH) offered the following remarks, today, during debate on a resolution to honor the brave men and women of the Space Shuttle Columbia.

“These brave men and women, representing the best of America and the world, gave the greatest sacrifice for the betterment of humanity. They knew the risks of their heroic enterprise. Their courage is the finest example of human aspirations, of reaching up to create an undreamed of future. They are true heroes. They pushed the limits of technological and human potential and in doing so inspired our nation and the world. Their memories will long endure.

“Imagine a world with less air pollution, less dependence on oil, new fire suppression technologies, better earthquake resistant buildings, better weather prediction models, and better medical techniques to fight cancer, diabetes, and antibiotic resistance. This is the world the astronauts aboard Columbia were striving for. By carrying out more than 80 scientific experiments to expand our knowledge in these and other fields, the seven astronauts were tackling today’s big issues with big science. They were pushing scientific boundaries to provide clues to issues we have been unable to resolve here on Earth.

“In my district resides the NASA Glenn Research Center, whose scientists were well acquainted with the seven shuttle astronauts who we lost in this tragedy. The crewmembers had traveled to Glenn several times a year for training on the scientific experiments. They were family to our NASA researchers in Cleveland.

“In their memory, we will push forward. We will continue to apply big science to resolve our big challenges. The scientists in Cleveland’s NASA Glenn Research Center and across the nation will strive for better solutions out of respect for the crew of Columbia. May they rest in peace.”