Statement from Ohio State President Karen A. Holbrook on the Columbia Space Shuttle Tragedy
"The shock of this morning's Columbia Space Shuttle disaster has once again caused us to pause as a nation to join together in great sorrow and with heartfelt compassion for the seven individuals who lost their lives to further the exploration of space and push the boundaries of science. This and the other national tragedies of the recent past have drawn us even closer together as a nation, and have made us more sensitive to reaching out to one another other in such situations.
"Our hearts go out to any members of the Ohio State family who may have connections with this tragedy of which we are not aware. At the same time, the university does have a direct tie to the mission. Professor Fred Sack and post-doctoral fellow Volker Kern have been working with NASA since 1997 and designed an experiment in plant biology that was being carried out on board the shuttle. Professor Sack and members of his research team were at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida awaiting the return of the shuttle this morning.
"Professor Sack reported that he and his colleagues, along with everyone at NASA, were grief-stricken over the loss of the crew members. 'These are people who did a remarkable job assisting us in our research and we will miss them,' he said. 'The tragic loss of the Space Shuttle ended this experiment. Rick Husband, the commander, worked on our experiment in space, with the obvious joy that was seen in the in-flight video. We will treasure his spirit and that of the rest of the crew.'
"I know I speak for everyone at The Ohio State University in sending our deepest sympathy to the families of the crew members."
Karen A. Holbrook, President
The Ohio State University
Related Ohio State-Columbia Mission links:
Video of "Moss in Space" research project on Space Shuttle Columbia Mission
Full story of Ohio State research project on Space Shuttle Columbia Mission
