NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe will preside at the dedication of the memorial at 3 p.m. EST on Monday, February 2, 2004 -- one year and one day after the tragedy which claimed the lives of the seven STS-107 crew members.
The ceremony is closed to all but family members and invited guests, but the memorial site will be open to the public after the event. NASA TV will provide live coverage.
The memorial is just a few feet away from another one honoring the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger, lost on January 28, 1986. Administrator O'Keefe laid a wreath at that site on the 18th anniversary of the accident.
It's a solemn, reflective time of year for NASA, with the anniversaries of the Columbia, Challenger and Apollo 1 accidents all falling within a week. Administrator O'Keefe announced this year that the agency will observe a Day of Remembrance each year on the last Thursday in January, honoring those three crews and all who have given their lives in the cause of exploration and discovery.
Administrator O'Keefe told NASA employees that the agency must learn from its tragedies "as profoundly as we do from our triumphs." He also urged employees to reflect "every single day" on the fact that "the consequences of us not getting it right are catastrophic."
During his remarks at NASA Headquarters, Administrator O'Keefe was backed by a large commemorative patch honoring the Apollo, Challenger and Columbia crews with the words, "their memory lives on, their spirit will carry us higher."
All three crews have also been honored on Mars: The Spirit rover's landing site has been named Columbia Memorial Station, Opportunity's landing site has been named Challenger Memorial Station, and three hills visibile from Spirit's site have been named for the Apollo 1 crew.
The Columbia crew will also be honored in a pre-game ceremony at Super Bowl XXXVIII on Sunday -- the one year anniversary of the accident. This year's game is in Houston, home to NASA's astronaut corps and the Johnson Space Center.
For the NASA family, the Columbia crew and the other fallen astronauts remain an inspiriation, pushing the agency to continue to explore.
"Every day when I drive to work I see reminders of the Columbia crew," says Commander Eileen Collins, who will lead the STS-114 crew, set to return shuttles to safe flight.
"I have reminders at home, I have reminders in my office, and I want those reminders because while initially they were sad, they're not as sad anymore; I'd say they're more strengthening; they're making me want to make more of a commitment to the program and to continue their legacy and to continue their mission."