City of Amarillo to commemorate 20th anniversary of Rick Husband death, Columbia space shuttle incident

Update (3:03 p.m.)

US Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas, provided a statement surrounding the 20th anniversary of the Columbia space shuttle incident.

In the statement, Cornyn said he cosponsored a US Senate resolution to commemorate the incident and honor its crew.

“As Texans and Americans do, people from all walks of life came together at a time of tragedy and rallied behind a unified effort to help bring answers to a nation in mourning,” Cornyn said. “This tragedy happened just a couple of months into my first Senate term, and I witnessed this massive response effort in action. I appreciate the Texans who came together in the wake of this tragedy to preserve pieces of Columbia and provide NASA and these families with answers that they so earnestly sought. Their efforts, then and now, have helped make the nation’s space program safer and more successful. As we mark the 20th anniversary of the loss of Columbia, I’m proud to cosponsor a Senate Resolution to commemorate the loss of Columbia and honor its crew. I appreciate the bipartisan support of senators on both sides of the aisle who have joined in this effort, and I hope the resolution will pass unanimously today.”

Original Story

AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — The city of Amarillo will commemorate Rick Husband next month with a public ceremony on the 20th anniversary of the Columbia space shuttle incident.

According to a news release from the city of Amarillo, city of Amarillo officials, along with some of Husband’s friends, will place a wreath at the Husband statue at the Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Officials said this event is open to the public.

Husband, who was from Amarillo, was the shuttle commander of the space shuttle Columbia, the shuttle which was destroyed during reentry on Feb. 1, 2003, which caused the death of seven astronauts. According to reports on MyHighPlains.com, a piece of the shuttle’s fuel-tank foam came off and punctured the left wing of the shuttle as it took off 16 days before it was destroyed on reentry.

“Most people probably remember where they were and what they were doing on Feb. 1, 2003 – especially if you lived in Amarillo or were from Amarillo,” City of Amarillo Director of Aviation Michael Conner said in the release. “The legacy of Rick Husband is a proud part of Amarillo and certainly a proud part of this international airport.”