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ByAnneHull WASHINGTONPOST MorethananyotherNASAspace sentedtheplanetitsoaredabove.The sevenastronautswhoperishedyester- diaandIsrael. tionhadcheereditshomegrownhe- roes.InIndia,well-wisherscalculated thetimeColumbiawouldpassoverso theycouldwavetoIndian-bornKalpa- naChawla. ulletinboardswiththefaceofIlan Sundayschoolclassesdrewspace- shipswithprayersunderneathforna- tivesonRickD.Husband,the45-year- oldcommanderofColumbia. A Theywereacombinationofsteely testpilotsandengineeringphenoms. Ramonwasabona-fidecombathero, flyingmissionsintheYomKippur arin1973andtheLebanonWarin clearweaponsbyyears.

moreabouthismissionthentheydid aboutnationalelections.The48-year- oldIsraeliairforcecolonelandfather offourwovepoetrywhenhedescribed hiswondermentatthegalaxies. hetoldPrimeMinisterArielSharon lastweekbyvideohookup. CommanderRickD.Husband,45, hocouldrememberwatchinghisfirst launchasa4-year-oldduringtheMer- curyspaceprogram.Theformertest pilotattendedhighschoolinAmarillo, graduatedfromTexasTechUniversity atVanceAirForceBaseinOklahoma. nautprogramin1994andtookhisfirst sandfriendsandneighborsfromAma- rillotraveledtotheKennedySpace Centertowavegood-byetohim. HusbandsanginthechoiratGrace CommunityChurchneartheJohnson lyprayergroups.Inspace,hesaid,he Mostastronautsareaneliteclassof pilotsselectedfromNavyorAirForce flighttrainingschools.

TheRight swaggeringskycowboyshave eenreplacedbydisciplinedpilots engineeringoraeronautics. lyingtheEdge upaV-22MarineOspreyandflyma- ingtowritegraph-filledreports. HavinganamelikeWillieMcCool ondinhisclassattheU.S.NavalAcad- emybuthisnamesuggestedatest pilotfromthestick-and-throttleera. atanavaljettrainingbaseinKings- dreamedoffollowinghisdadasa Navypilot.Columbiawashisfirstso- jurninspace.Aspilot,hewasrespon- sibleformaneuveringtheshuttle. PayloadcommanderMichaelP.

nauts.Afterachildhoodofwatching StarTrek chancesforastronautselection.Hewas flyingfortheAirForcein1994whenhe AdevoutChristianwithtwodaugh- enceexperiments. MissionspecialistLaurelBlairSal- graphsandfingerprintsofeverymem- elementaryschoolclass.Hehadn’t wantedhertogoawayfortwoweeks. Heevenaskedhisgrandmotherand aunttotakeherplaceontheshuttle. giveupsomethingthatyouloveto ClarkwasanieceofDougandBetty theirsonintheWorldTradeCenter towerssmokingandeventuallycol- lapsingandthenyouseethisspace MissionSpecialistDavidM.Brown asummerofffromtheCollegeofWill- iamandMarytoworkatBuschGar- plannedonbeingaregulardoctoruntil hesawapamphletshowingaNavyphy- sicianontheflightdecknexttoanF-4 Phantom.Afterhisinternship,hewent ontoflytheA-6EIntruder. theseaofdarknesstheshuttletra- versed.Yethisjourneyalsoreminded toane-mailhesentlastweek.

visitthebeautifulEarthmorethanI Chawlatoldherfathershewantedto studyaerospace.Beadoctorora panyhertoherinterviewatengineer- AninstructortoldChawlaengineer- Sheearnedanaeronauticaldegree fromthePunjabEngineeringCollege butknewshehadtogettoAmericai shewasevertogettospace.After theUniversityofColoradoforherdoc- torate.There,sheworkedforaprofes- sorwhowasdoingNASAresearch. Columbiain1997. Thecrewmemberscamefromdif- shuttlelifeblurredanydifferences. uplinkedfromMissionControlespe- ciallyforMcCool.Onanotherafter- TheLionKing giftforpayloadcommanderAnder- Theshuttlecrewinspired alsoIndiaandIsrael. Michael P.

Anderson Age: 43, born Dec. 25, 1959, in Plattsburgh, N.Y. Rank: Payload commander, mission specialist 3, lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force. Flight history: He joined the astronaut program in 1994 and flew on the shuttle Endeavour in 1998.

He was a former instructor pilot and tactical officer. Education: Bachelor of science in astronomy from University of master of science in physics from Creighton University, 1990. Family: He is survived by his wife and two children. David M. Brown Age: 46, born April 16, 1956, in Arlington, Va.

Rank: Mission specialist 1, captain in the U.S. Navy. Flight History: He joined the astronaut program in 1996. This was his first space flight. He joined the Navy after his medical internship in South Carolina and later became a pilot.

Education: Bachelor of science in biology from the College of William and Mary, 1978; doctorate in medicine from Eastern Virginia Medical School, 1982. Family: He is survived by his parents, Paul and Dorothy Brown from Washington, VA. Kalpana Chawla Age: 41, born July 1, 1961, in Karnal, India. Rank: Flight engineer, mission specialist 2. Flight History: She joined the astronaut program in 1994 and flew on the shuttle Columbia in 1997.

Education: Bachelor of science in aeronautical engineering from Punjab Engineering College, India, 1982; master of science in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas-Arlington, 1984; doctorate of philosophy in aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado. Family: She is survived by her parents, two sisters and a brother in India. Laurel Blair Salton Clark Age: 41, born March 10, 1961, in Ames, Iowa. Rank: Mission specialist commander (captain- select) in the U.S. Navy.

Flight History: She joined the astronaut program in 1996. This was her first flight. She was a naval submarine medical officer, diving medical officer, and a naval flight surgeon. Education: Bachelor of science in zoology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1983; doctorate in medicine from the same school, 1987. Family: She is survived by her husband and one child.

Rick D. Husband Age: 45, born July 12, 1957 in Amarillo, Texas Rank: Commander, colonel in the U.S. Air Force. Flight history: He joined the astronaut program in 1994 and flew aboard the Discovery in 1999, during which the shuttle docked with the International Space Station for the first time. He was also a test pilot.

Education: Bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from Texas Tech University, 1980; master of science in mechanical engineering from California State University-Fresno, 1990. Family: He is survived by a wife and two children. William C. McCool Age: 41, born Sept. 23, 1961, in San Diego.

Rank: Pilot. Flight history: He joined the astronaut program in 1996. This was his first space flight. He was a commander in the U.S. Navy, and a former test pilot.

Education: Bachelor of science in applied science from the U.S. Naval Academy, 1983; master of science in computer science from the University of Maryland in 1985, master of science in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, 1992. Family: He is survived by his wife and three sons. Ilan Ramon Age: 48, born June 20, 1954, in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Rank: Payload specialist, colonel in the Israeli air force. Flight history: He was the first Israeli to enter space. A fighter pilot, who was a veteran of Yom Kippur War. He was selected as a payload specialist by the Israeli air force in 1997. Ramon was approved by NASA in 1998.

Education: Bachelor of science in electronics and computer engineering from the University of Tel Aviv, 1987. Family: He is survived by his wife, Rona, and four children. Press, Bloomberg, Reuters A TheastronautswhoperishedontheColumbia were, WilliamC.McCoollookson;andKalpanaChawla, speakingtoConnecticutschoolchildren. NASA MICHAEL ANDERSON DAVID BROWN KALPANA CHAWLA LAUREL CLARK RICK HUSBAND WILLIAM COOL ILAN RAMON SPACESHUTTLE COLUMBIA DISASTER www.philly.com A5 THEPHILADELPHIAINQUIRER.