Declare the week of January 27 - February 2 to be Astronaut Memorial Week in honor of Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia.

On January 27, 1967, three astronauts died in a fire on the launchpad at NASA. On January 28, 1986, seven astronauts were killed when Challenger exploded while launching into orbit. On February 1, 2003, Columbia burned up on reentry, killing another seven astronauts. These three disasters represent our nation's darkest moments with regard to space exploration. The anniversaries of these events all occur with one week of each other. Our astronauts are men and women from multiple races and nations. Their bravery and sacrifice should be specifically honored on this particular week. Let's make January 27 - February 2 Astronaut Memorial Week. Let's not forget their desire to explore the wonders of space first-hand and the relevance of NASA's mission as we progress into the 21st Century.