Remembering Columbia Tragedy
Seven astronauts died when the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart as it re-entered earth's atmosphere last year.
Many crewmembers made their home in Houston. And the close-knit NASA community is still feeling the pain.
CBS News Correspondent Sandra Hughes talked to those who remember the day that changed their lives.
In the year since the Shuttle Columbia disaster, so much has changed. But for the families left mourning, those who died on board, so much is still the same.
Eight-year-old Iain Clark lost his mother Laurel.
Her husband, Dr. Jonathan Clark, says, "She was a great mom. Obviously, it's been very tough. She was a really great mom, first and foremost."
Iain says he is proud of his mother's accomplishments.
The wife of Shuttle Commander Rick D. Husband brought her two kids to Florida to watch Columbia touch down. She remembers Feb. 1, 2003 with painful clarity.
"It was about a minute before landing that I had a real sinking feeling in my stomach that things were not going well," says Evelyn Husband. "I remember Laura walking over to me and grabbing my arm, and saying to me, 'Mom, is dad OK?'"
In the past 12 months, Husband has found her strength in faith, and among those who share her grief.
"I believe God hand-picked this crew, and I believe God hand-picked the families as well," she says. "We have just melded and meshed so well together."
Inside NASA, the pain was just as acute. Astronaut Charlie Hobaugh was the last to talk to the crew.
"It's always the best that we lose," says Hobaugh. "[They're an] extremely talented bunch, and, [it was] a devastating loss to our country and NASA."
It wasn't long after the tragedy that critics began questioning whether space travel was worth the cost, and the risk. Since the manned space program began, 23 astronauts have lost their lives. Most recently, the Shuttle Challenger, in 1986, and Columbia.
After the Columbia disaster, family members and others involved in the space program spoke strongly through their pain, voicing together their hope that it would not prevent future manned space missions.
And it hasn't. In the 12 months since Columbia, there's been a political and national change in attitude toward the space program.
President Bush announced, just two weeks ago, plans for a manned mission to the moon. And perhaps, one day, Mars.
"Rick always thought going to the moon would've been the most cool thing to do, and Mars as well," says Evelyn Husband. "That's just the kind of thing that you dream about when you're a child."
These are such dreams that little Ian Clark carries in spite of his loss.
"I want to, like maybe, work at NASA," he says.
Maybe he'll follow in the footsteps of a personal hero who died pursuing a dream.
There will be a special ceremony honoring Columbia's seven astronauts during the Super Bowl pre-game show.