February 02, 2003

Stunned World Grieves Over Shuttle Disaster

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Japan, which had been due to send up its fifth astronaut on a U.S. shuttle next month, said the disaster would deal a blow to its space program.

Officials said astronaut Soichi Noguchi's mission would be postponed. Japanese plans to build a module for the ISS would also be affected.

"The accident not only poses a serious situation for the U.S. manned space program but also for the ISS project which our nation is also taking part in," Science Minister Atsuko Toyama said in a statement.

Two Canadian astronauts due to fly to the space station later this year will also likely be grounded. NASA has put all shuttle flights on hold while it investigates the breakup.

The station is being built by Russia and the United States with the help of space agencies from Europe, Canada and Japan.

China, which hopes to become the world's third nation to launch a manned spacecraft -- possibly later this year, also sent condolences to the United States and Israel.

Chinese President Jiang Zemin told President Bush China deeply regretted the loss of Colombia's seven crew but he believed the exploration of space would continue.

While the supporters of Saddam celebrated the horrible explosion and the tragic deaths in Iraq and some Leftist Canadians sneered about the "just desserts" of "American arrogance" on the Canadian Broadcasting Company yesterday, the fact still came shining through these world-wide expressions of sorrow that the now indisputably international space program is the product and pride not only of American greatness, but that of all Mankind, just as was foreseen and the reason why Neil Armstrong uttered those famous words with his first step on the moon.