The American space agency officially announced yesterday that the bodies of all seven astronauts who perished in the crash of the space shuttle "Columbia" two weeks ago have been identified.
The American space agency officially announced yesterday that the bodies of all seven astronauts who perished in the crash of the space shuttle "Columbia" two weeks ago have been identified. The bodies, which were transported to the pathology facility in Dover, Delaware, were positively identified using identification marks, teeth and DNA tests.
"We are working towards the release of all the remains of the bodies to the families for the purpose of conducting private burial ceremonies," said Eileen Hawley, a spokeswoman for NASA, yesterday. The remains of Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon have already been identified and buried in Israel.
Bob Cavanagh, who is responsible for the space crews at NASA, said that "we draw comfort from the knowledge that we have brought our seven friends home." He thanked all the volunteers and local authorities who helped locate the remains of the bodies and said that in doing so they brought peace of mind to the families of the team members and to the entire NASA family.
The American space agency also said that the burial and memorial ceremonies will be conducted by the astronauts' families themselves privately and that no date has yet been set for their existence.
