布什哀悼遇難宇航員的講話
My fellow Americans, this day has brought terrible news and great sadness to our country. At 9:00 a.m. this morning, Mission Control in Houston lost contact with our Space Shuttle Columbia. A short time later, debris was seen falling from the skies above Texas. The Columbia is lost; there are no survivors.
On board was a crew of seven: Colonel Rick Husband; Lt. Colonel Michael Anderson; Commander Laurel Clark; Captain David Brown; Commander William McCool; Dr. Kalpana Chawla; and Ilan Ramon, a Colonel in the Israeli Air Force. These men and women assumed great risk in the service to all humanity.
In an age when space flight has come to seem almost routine, it is easy to overlook the dangers of travel by rocket, and the difficulties of navigating the fierce outer atmosphere of the Earth. These astronauts knew the dangers, and they faced them willingly, knowing they had a high and noble purpose in life. Because of their courage and daring and idealism, we will miss them all the more.
All Americans today are thinking, as well, of the families of these men and women who have been given this sudden shock and grief. You’re not alone. Our entire nation grieves with you. And those you loved will always have the respect and gratitude of this country.
The cause in which they died will continue. Mankind is led into the darkness beyond our world by the inspiration of discovery and the longing to understand. Our journey into space will go on.
In the skies today we saw destruction and tragedy. Yet farther than we can see there is comfort and hope. In the words of the prophet Isaiah, "Lift your eyes and look to the heavens. Who created all these? He who brings out the starry hosts one by one and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing."
The same Creator who names the stars also knows the names of the seven souls we mourn today. The crew of the shuttle Columbia did not return safely to Earth; yet we can pray that all are safely home.
May God bless the grieving families, and may God continue to bless America.
布什總統在白宮發表電視講話，向美國人民宣布哥倫比亞航天飛機失事和機組人員遇難的沉痛消息。總統表示，全美國將和7名宇航員的家人一道悲慟，并且會永遠記住他們。布什還說，人類探索太空的事業將繼續進行下去。下面是布什總統講話的全文翻譯：
美國的同胞們，今天我們的國家遭遇到可怕的消息和巨大的悲哀。今天上午九點，休斯頓控制中心和哥倫比亞號航天飛機失去了聯絡。沒過多長時間，人們就看到殘骸從德克薩斯州上空墜落，哥倫比亞號航天飛機失事，機組人員無一幸免。航天飛機上有七名宇航員，他們是里克-赫斯本德上校、 邁克爾-安德森中校、勞雷爾-克拉克中校、戴維-布朗上校、威廉-麥庫爾中校、卡爾帕納-舒拉博士和以色列空軍上校伊蘭-拉蒙。
這些男女宇航員為了全人類的事業，承擔了巨大的風險。在太空飛行似乎已經變成常規作業的今天，人們很容易忽視乘坐火箭旅行的危險和在地球大氣層以外航行的難度。這些宇航員了解這些危險，而且心甘情愿地面對這些危險，因為他們知道自己的生命有著崇高的目標。正是因為他們的勇氣、膽識和理想主義信念，我們會更加懷念他們。今天，所有美國人都會想到這些宇航員的家人，他們經歷了突如其來的震撼和悲傷。你們并不孤獨，我們整個國家和你們一起哀悼。你們的親人將永遠受到美國的尊敬和感激。
他們為之獻身的事業將繼續下去。人類基于發現和求知的欲望才走進大氣層以外的黑暗，我們對太空的探索會繼續下去。今天，我們在空中看到了摧毀和悲劇，但是在超越我們視線的地方卻有著安慰與希望。先知以賽亞說：“你們向上舉目，看誰創造這萬象？按數目領出，他一一稱其名。因他的權能，又因他的大能大力，連一個都不缺。”為星宿命名的同一位造物主，也知道我們今天悼念的七個亡靈的名字，哥倫比亞號航天飛機的機組人員未能平安返回地球，但是我們祈禱他們全都有了平安的歸宿。
愿神保佑他們悲慟的家人，愿神繼續保佑美國。
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