Shuttle's demise, loss of astronauts felt by Mauians

The Maui News
Sunday, February 2, 2003

By MELISSA TANJI and CLAUDINE SAN NICOLAS
Staff Writer

WAILUKU - Around Maui County on Saturday, residents and visitors joined the nation in mourning, meditating on the tragedy that struck seven astronauts on the Space Shuttle Columbia just minutes before it was to return to Earth.

At Hula Bowl Maui, where sports fans were celebrating the best in college football, a moment of silence was observed while a helicopter flyover added a "missing man" formation to honor the astronauts.

Elected officials expressed their condolences to the families who have lost loved ones, while students at the Maui Schools' Science Fair said they would wish that they could help prevent another disaster.

"It's just so sad we lost so many talented people," said Denise Prest, a Waikapu woman attending the Hula Bowl. "We just take it for granted the risks they take."

"It's obviously the most depressing thing to know people who were on the front line exploring in space could be so deprived of life," said Pete Fieweger, an Illinois fan. "It saddens your heart and makes you appreciate the courage and effort they put forth."

As part of the pregame program, Blue Hawaiian Helicopters had scheduled a flyover but revised the plan to have one of the four helicopters in formation drop off to fly toward the low afternoon sun.

For Ray Watanabe, a Maui County firefighter, the missing man flight offered "a little peace."

"Even on the island of Maui we still have people who care about what happens in the world," the 32-year-old Lahaina resident said.

The participating pilots, all veterans of the Vietnam War, said it helped them to deal with the shock and sense of loss from the disaster in space.

"I was really feeling devastated over what happened this morning, you know.

It was a way for us to how some respect," said David Chevalier, a pilot and Blue Hawaiian co-owner.

"There's an organization called the QB's, started right after World War I by aviators. QB is for 'quiet birdman.' It's always a tradition that when a member dies, they say he's gone west.

"It's symbolic but it's a real tradition in aviation. That's what the military does; it has its roots in World War I."

Chevalier's wife and business partner, Patty Chevalier, said the four pilots wanted to express their sorrow.

"They're all veterans and this is a tradition for them in aviation to show respect, to show what they are feeling for a fallen comrade," she said. "It was for everyone from Maui to show that we're all thinking about the shuttle astronauts today."

In the stadium, Mayor Alan Arakawa reflected on the tragedy in asking the crowd to observe the moment of silence before the game.

He also read a message from Gov. Linda Lingle, who called the astronauts "seven brave explorers."

"It was very tragic," he said, noting that he was called at 6 a.m. by Managing Director Jack Kulp and informed of the disaster. He spent the morning watching the news, he said.

With space exploration, there are risks and "mishaps are bound to occur," he said. The seven astronauts were courageous and had drive to do what they wanted to do, he said.

"It's something we all respect and honor their decision to serve humanity," he said. "As a nation we will mourn together."

Other elected officials said the seven astronauts and those that have preceded them must be recognized as pioneers who take great risks.

"This was a great tragedy for us, for the United States and Israel," Sen. J. Kalani English said in a phone call.

English predicted that the astronauts who perished in Saturday's explosion would one day be viewed as "pioneers in the field. In time when we're traveling safely, these are the people we'll remember."

"Challenging our frontiers is dangerous and risky," said Rep. Chris Halford.

"Americans have been up to the challenge to explore frontiers even with the kind of risks."

"My heart goes out to the families who lost their loved ones," said Rep. Kika Bukoski, who represents Upcountry Maui. Like many residents, Bukoski watched TV reports awed by the magnitude of the disaster. "It's just mind boggling," he said.

Sen. Roz Baker was traveling back to Maui from Honolulu Saturday morning when she saw reports unfold on TV.

"It was quite devastating. I feel so sorry for the families of all the people that were killed," she said.

Baker added she was glad to see officials assure the nation that science explorations would continue once NASA is able to determine the cause and can prevent another accident.

Rep. Sol Kaho'ohalahala of Lanai City said he was still in shock Saturday afternoon. "I just think it's tragic. I don't know what there is to say." The loss of the Columbia comes 17 years after the Space Shuttle Challenger burst into flames while taking off on Jan. 28, 1986.

The two tragedies have been enough for Bud Petersen, 63.

"Unmanned vehicles is the way to go," he said. "We don't need to send people up there."

Petersen, of Spokane, Wash., said he didn't know Payload Commander Michael Anderson also called Spokane home. But he said he did not understand the need to send people into high-risk situations when there already are robotic vehicles doing jobs in space.

"It's tragic," said Petersen's wife, Luann.

Lahaina resident Claire Carroll supported the effort to put men and women in space, saying manned flights speed the advancement of technology. Without space exploration and sacrifice by astronauts, she said there wouldn't be the same amount of knowledge of what it takes to be in space.

The memorial program to precede the football game was appropriate, she said.

"I think we sometimes got to stop and remember what everyone is doing out there," she said.

A Michigan couple on Maui for the game were shocked when they turned on their television set Saturday morning. Barbara Hukill, at the game with her husband, Neil, said when she first saw the images being flashed on the television screen, even before she heard the reports, she knew it wouldn't be good.

"We saw the flags at the hotel flying half-mast," she said.

Blue Hawaiian pilot Greg Latham said he didn't learn of the tragedy until he was well on his way to work.

"I usually listen to classical music on my way to work, and rock 'n' roll on my way home, but this morning for some reason I turned on NPR and they were talking to people from NASA," he said. "I thought that was interesting and then they began to talk about the tragedy that happened."

Stunned by the news, he said there was no question that the pilots would express their thoughts during the flyover planned as part of the pregame program for Hula Bowl Maui.

"When we heard about the space shuttle and the lives that were lost, we felt the missing man formation was something we could do," he said.

Reid Watanabe, twin brother of Ray, said he knows that NASA was trying to build confidence in the space program, but the explosion is a setback. As a parent, he said he felt for the families of the astronauts who were killed.

The disaster revived memories of another more recent tragedy, when terrorists hijacked commercial jetliners and crashed them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

When her children ran into her room Saturday morning, "I thought it as another 9-11 attack," Prest said.

"When I saw it, I was like 'Oh my gosh,'" she said.

"It's pretty sad for the family members; they were about home," said 13-year-old Kortney Koa, of Makawao. But she said the initial reports reminded her that the U.S. is on the verge of war.

"When I saw it on TV, I thought we were getting bombed."

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