February 2, 2004
NASA Dedicates
Mars Landmarks to Columbia Crew
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe today announced
that the martian hills located east of the Spirit Mars Exploration
Rover's landing site would be dedicated to the Space Shuttle
Columbia STS-107 crew.
Hills Dedicated to Columbia
Astronauts
Click
for larger image
Courtesy NASA/JPL/Cornell
"These seven hills on Mars are named
for those seven brave souls, the final crew of the Space Shuttle
Columbia. The Columbia crew faced the challenge of space and
made the supreme sacrifice in the name of exploration,"
O'Keefe said.
The Shuttle Columbia was commanded by Rick
Husband and piloted by William McCool. The mission specialists
were Michael Anderson, Kalpana Chawla, David Brown, Laurel Clark;
and the payload specialist was Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon.
On February 1, 2003, the Columbia and its crew were lost over
the western United States during re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.
The 28th and final flight of Columbia was
a 16-day mission dedicated to research in physical, life and
space sciences. The Columbia crew successfully conducted approximately
80 separate experiments during their mission.
NASA will submit the names of the Mars
features to the International Astronomical Union for official
designation. The organization serves as the internationally recognized
authority for assigning designations to celestial bodies and
their surface features.
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