THESE are the pictures of the Columbia

THESE are the pictures of the Columbia astronauts achieving their dream...the pictures they hoped they could treasure forever.

Instead they are poignant reminders of a dream that died when they were so close to home and safety.

The snaps they sent back from space showed the crew enjoying weightlessness, doing their experiments and trying out their bunks. Without fail they had smiles on their faces.

Before and during the flight, the five men and two women also spoke of their hopes...and fears.

Their words, like the photographs, now stand as a stark testimony to the courage and ambition of a crew that many believed represented a new America.

Complex

Brown, black and white...from differing parts of our world...they were united by a will to conquer the last frontier.

Before lift-off, mission specialist MICHAEL ANDERSON spoke prophetically of the dangers.

He said: "There are a million things that can go wrong...this is a very complex vehicle.

"And even though we've gone to great pains to make it as safe as we can, there's always the potential for something going amiss."

But he spoke too of the value of his mission. He said: "The benefits of the science we can do in orbit, and the benefits we gain from exploring space are well worth the risk." And he told of his dream: "As you look back at your life, there are a million different things that have happened, just in the right way, to allow you to make your dreams come true. And you know, someone has all that under control."

Crew leader RICK HUSBAND said in an interview from space:

"Things are going really great. We're having a great time up here. We had a great ride to orbit. And we've got our space legs up and running."

Before the mission he said: "From the time I was four years old I wanted to be an astronaut. Watching the moon landings was just so exciting that I thought ‘There is no doubt in my mind that is what I want to do when I grow up'.

He added: "It's pretty much a lifelong dream, and I'm just thrilled to be able to live it out."

Indian born scientist KALPANA CHAWLA was asked what life was like on Columbia.

She replied: "It's a lot of fun and we are enjoying it. The module is quite big and roomy."

And talking of her mission she said: "It's a scientific juggling act, it really is. I'm working on four experiments simultaneously."

LAUREL CLARK told the interviewer from the reaches of space: "Things are going very smoothly. As expected, there are some minor glitches, but the teams on the ground are getting tons of incredible data."

While in space Israel's astronaut ILAN RAMONanswered a question put to him from Britain by e-mail. It asked if it would have been better for the world if he had been exploring space with a Palestinian or Arab astronaut alongside him.

He replied: "Well, as you probably know an Arab man already flew in the 1980s. So I am not the first one from there.

"I feel like I represent, first of all of course, the state of Israel and the Jews. But I represent also all our neighbours, and I hope the mission will contribute to the whole world, and especially to our Middle East neighbours."

Drawing

Ramon, like many astronauts before him, had taken into space good luck charms "to keep him safe."

He carried a pencil drawing titled Moon Landscape by Peter Ginz, a 14-year-old Jewish boy killed at Auschwitz death camp.

Ramon also had a miniaturised Bible—and a palm-sized Torah (the Jewish holy book) carried 60 years ago in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp by a boy named Joachim Joseph. He survived to set up one of the experiments done on Columbia.

Ramon said: "I think the Torah represents more than anything the nation of Israel's ability to survive...from dark and dismal days, to days of hope."

Ramon was a jet pilot known for his bravery. Sadly, neither his mighty courage—nor his good-luck charms—could save Columbia.