The remains of all seven members of Space Shuttle Columbia’s crew have been positively identified at Dover Air Force Base, Del.
“We are comforted by the knowledge we have brought our seven friends home,” said Bob Cabana, Director of Flight Crew Operations at the Johnson Space Center. “We are deeply indebted to the communities and volunteers who made this homecoming possible, and brought peace of mind to the crew’s families, and the entire NASA family,” he said.
The seven astronauts, Rick Husband (Colonel, USAF), Willie McCool (Commander, USN), Michael Anderson (Lieutenant Colonel, USAF), David Brown (Captain, USN), Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark (Commander, USN), and Ilan Ramon (Colonel, Israel Air Force), died Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003, when the Space Shuttle Columbia broke up over the southwest United States.
Private memorial services for the crewmembers will take place within the next few weeks. Burial services for Ilan Ramon took place February 11 in Israel.