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Goddard Dedication For Columbia Crewmembers
Members and friends of the FREESTAR team gathered at the Roberts Meadows area on Friday, March 28 for a Garden Spot Dedication, the first element of the Memorial Garden in commemoration of the Space Shuttle Columbia crewmembers. Tom Dixon, mission manager of the STS-107 Hitchhiker payload FREESTAR, was master of ceremony for the planting of a tree and the unveiling of the Memorial Garden design. He thanked all that were in attendance for remembering the crew and for the dedicated spirit that has been so much a part of the hitchhiker program. Al Diaz, center director, stated that, "All of our lives changed drastically on February first. I just want to say thank you to those that make up the FREESTAR team for helping us get through this tragic time." Diaz added that the name Ilan in Hebrew means tree. "It is a great reminder to plant this tree as a memorial," Diaz added.
Representing NASA headquarters at the ceremony was Dr. Mary Cleave and Ms. Rhoda Hornstein of Code Y, Lisa Guerra of Code U and Stan Nickels of Code M. Rhoda Hornstein commented that mission manager Tom Dixon, "Moves about the bureau and scientist with great ease and we appreciate that. I thank him for inviting us here today," she said. She also praised Katie Barthelme, mission operations director for the FREESTAR payload, for her work during the mission in keeping headquarters personnel informed throughout. The ceremony
concluded with the unveiling of plans for the memorial and the planting
of a tree in memory of the STS-107 crew. Each member in attendance
had the opportunity to place dirt around the newly planted tree.
"When completed, we want this to be a place where people can
come to reflect and remember," said Dixon. "We dedicate
this garden spot to celebrate new life, not a memorial of death,"
concluded Dixon
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