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AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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Officials name senior vice president, chief of staff
By Fiona Riley, Assistant News Editor • March 26, 2024

Air and Space Museum commemorates Columbia

Posted 10:49 a.m. Feb. 11

by Michelle Gesser
U-WIRE Washington Bureau

In the wake of the Feb. 1 Space Shuttle Columbia crash, emotions are running high and America is attempting to deal with tragedy again. The National Air and Space Museum is responding to this event with a modest, but heartfelt exhibit about the shuttle and its history.

The display consists of a model of the space shuttle surrounded by information panels with facts about the mission, the shuttle, and the 1986 Challenger disaster. In addition to these features, the display has two books for visitors to list their comments about the event.

STS-107, the Columbia, was the first reusable shuttle launched by NASA and held seven astronauts. For four of the astronauts, the mission that began Jan. 16 was their first space flight.

Over the weekend, the Air and Space Museum, a favorite attraction for tourists, was especially quiet around the Columbia display with people from as far as Germany and Mexico reflecting on the tragedy.

Katie Ohrmund of Alexandria, Va., said the Columbia disaster brought back memories from the Challenger accident.

“I remember the Challenger because I was watching the liftoff and it just seemed more dramatic because (the crash) was when they were taking off and they made such a big deal about it,” she said. “With the Columbia, nobody knew a whole lot. It wasn’t publicized much until the accident.”

Many people feel that NASA missions have lost the media spotlight because they are a common part of American life. William Pellegrino, a docent at the museum for 27 years, said it took another shuttle tragedy to remind the nation of the significance of space flight.

“I never paid much attention because cause they were going along so smoothly,” he said. “We didn’t have any accidents, we didn’t have any near accidents and I was getting complacent just like everybody else.”

The seemingly routine nature of these flights may explain the shock many are experiencing in relation to the Columbia accident. Some observers of the memorial were reluctant to discuss their feelings.

With tears in her eyes, a woman who wished to remain anonymous said: “It’s just very sad.”

And with the tragedy so recent, emotions are raw.

But optimistic observers said they see a necessity in manned space flights even with the risks.

“Your food that you have today all came from the space program. Freeze dried food, the processing of food, medicine, software … these guys had to be up there and do the stuff robots can not do,” Pelligrino added.

Virginia resident Katie Ohrmund agreed.

“Sometimes when you take risks, that’s what happens,” she told U-WIRE. “I think people believe this type of thing needs to be done. I have respect for those people who risk their lives to do this.”

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