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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2003

Tribal members in Washington grieved with the nation as it reacted to the deaths of seven astronauts who were aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia when it disintegrated upon re-entry on Saturday.

For members of the Puyallup Tribe, the tragedy came as the tribe was dedicating a new building. John Herrington, a Chickasaw Nation tribal member who flew in a recent shuttle mission, spoke to students on the reservation last month.

For students on the Shoshone-Bannock Reservation, the loss also hit him. Elementary school students sent an experiment on the shuttle and last month, ten of them, along with 14 tribal and community members, went to Florida to see the shuttle launch.

The exact cause of the Columbia's failure is not known. NASA and members of Congress are investigating the crash, which occurred seemingly without warning over Texas, where debris fell to the Earth.

Early reports suggest the shuttle was experiencing problems as it entered the Earth's atmosphere. High temperatures on the craft were detected by sensitive telescope equipment.

Get the Story:
Tacoma fans of Chickasaw astronaut relieved he is safe (The Tacoma News Tribune 2/3)
Idaho students had part in Columbia mission (The Idaho Statesman 2/1)
Hopes for Experiments Disappear as Disaster Unfolds (The New York Times 2/2)
Username: indianzcom, Password: indianzcom Key Systems Focus of Probe (The Washington Post 2/3)
NASA Finds Clues in Disaster; Temperature Rise in Last Minutes (The New York Times 2/3)
Signs of Trouble Appeared Above California (The New York Times 2/3)
Username: indianzcom, Password: indianzcom

Relevant Links:
NASA - http://www.nasa.gov