Shuttle Disaster Letter

sented. Their ages ranged from 20s to 70s. These dissimilar people were all there for one reason - Delta Chi. This was, for all practical purposes, a fraternity chapter house for four days. Our Board members serve term limits, and all must leave the Board at one time or another. One of our Regents lamented about his term expiring in the near future. He expressed the emotions of separation anxiety and the need to continue to serve. It was amazing, he said, looking out over the cabin at the interaction of the diverse Brotherhood on that Saturday afternoon, “This looks just like an undergraduate chapter house.” It was incredible and even renewing for these men to participate in what our undergraduates experience on a regular basis by just being together and socializing with a group of men we admire and respect, bound together with this unexplainable thing we call the Bond of Delta Chi. In many ways, our alumni chapters have been able to continue this interpersonal relationship. Unfortunately, many of our alumni have been unable or simply have yet to take the opportunity to rejoin the active fold of Brotherhood. Whether you are an undergraduate or an alumnus, you should become involved, if you are not already, and make Delta Chi a part of your life as a donor of time, money or social involvement.

We will continue with our proactive administration into the future. The mandates regarding Strategic Planning as set forth at our 2002 Orlando Convention will be presented to the floor of the Washington D.C. Convention in August 2004. Please make an effort to attend the International Convention. As an undergraduate, you will experience the true grandeur of Delta Chi. It is far greater in scope than you could imagine. As an alumnus, you will rekindle the torch passed down to you from our Founders at your initiation.

Thank you for allowing me the honor to serve this term as “AA”. I will continue to serve you, my Brothers, to my utmost ability. I wish upon you a joyous Founders’ Day and continued success.

In the Bond, A Letter from Delta Chi’s Astronaut Addressing the Shuttle Disaster

By Henry W. Hartsfield, Jr. ’54

On February 1, tragedy again struck our space program.

I, as did many others around the world, watched with great sadness as the drama with Space Shuttle Columbia unfolded. My heart goes out to the families of those who lost their lives in the pursuit of knowledge on Columbia, and I pray God grants them comfort, understanding, and finally, acceptance.

I have always known that there is some risk in flying, especially flying in space. I accepted these risks because I believed in what I was doing. We should never forget that humans are not perfect nor are their machines. Despite our best efforts, failures in our machines and errors in our own actions will occur, sometimes with tragic results.

There is always risk—to varying degrees—in all we do. I have often said, show me someone who is not taking risks and I will show you someone who is not accomplishing much. We are by nature an inquisitive people. We must ask why things occur, what is out there, what is it like, is there anything beyond? We are only satisfied when we begin to answer those questions by willingly accepting the risks and pushing our frontiers outward.

Over the centuries, many have lost their lives in the pursuit of knowledge and understanding of our universe. History has recorded the names of many of these brave explorers. There are, however, many others who leave this world virtually unknown but, in their own way, have contributed to the understanding of our world. The thirst for knowledge is a major driving force in humans and many answer the call. I believe all contributions to our human knowledge base are valuable, even if the world does not long recall the names of the ones who put their hearts and souls into the quest. The results of their discoveries, however, remain for the benefit of all of us in some way.

There are many people in all walks of life who contribute to our knowledge base and our well-being. The tragic events of 9/11 come to mind where the heroic firemen and police officers went in harm’s way to try to help their fellow human beings. Many made the ultimate sacrifice. There are also those from all walks of life who choose to risk themselves to help others or search for knowledge and understanding. They may be missionaries helping with education, medical personnel providing health care in disaster areas or areas with rampant disease, or researchers in high-risk areas.

When tragedy strikes in these cases, it may inspire nothing in the news media, or merely a footnote on the back page of a publication. Some events, such as 9/11 and the loss of Columbia, garner worldwide notice because they are out of the ordinary. It is important to remember that the contributions of the unheralded are often just as important for the human race.

The loss of Columbia is a tragedy, but it is not a call for stopping all progress. Obviously, we would not have aerial accidents if we did not fly. Ships would not sink if they stayed in ports. We would not have devastating car crashes if we kept our cars in the garage. All of these machines are designed for purposes other than to be stationary monuments. There will always be setbacks in pushing outward and we must overcome them. These events will occur despite our best efforts. The most important thing now is for us not to allow the drive for knowledge to stop because of a crisis along the way.

I believe we will find out the most likely cause of the loss of Columbia, correct any problems identified, and continue our space program. To do less would break faith with the memory of all those who have given their lives in the pursuit of knowledge in space flight—the crews of Apollo 1, Challenger, and Columbia.

We will continue. We must continue. We will not be held down. We will not allow this setback to deter us from continuing our pursuit of knowledge or to quell our spirit. George C. Scott said it well, “The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it.”

Reprinted with permission from the Auburn Magazine and Henry Hartsfield, Jr.

A Columbia veteran, Henry (Hank) Hartsfield, Jr. became an astronaut in 1969. He was a member of the astronaut support crew for Apollo 16 and later served as a member of the astronaut support crew for the Skylab 2, 3, and 4 missions. Hartsfield’s Space Shuttle missions included serving as backup pilot for STS-2 and STS-3, Columbia’s second and third orbital flight tests. A veteran of three space flights, Hartsfield has logged 483 hours in space. He served as the pilot on STS4 and was the spacecraft commander on STS-41D and STS-61A. Subsequent to his space flights, Hartsfield served in various senior management positions within NASA’s human space flight programs. In 1998, Hartsfield left government service to join Raytheon. He currently serves as vice president of Aerospace Engineering Services for Raytheon Technical Services Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Raytheon Company.