I am deeply saddened by the Columbia space shuttle accident as I am sure all of us are. It is hard to imagine the grief that the families must be dealing with. My heart aches also for the incredibly dedicated team at NASA. The astronauts were great heroes but also extraordinary individuals in every dimension — the best of the best. Seeing and hearing the excitement they exuded over the space mission brings tears to my eyes. I hope that knowing the thoughts and prayers of millions of people around the world are with them makes it a little easier for the families to find the strength they will need in he days ahead. I will have more to say about NASA and space travel later but for the next week or so I will not be posting anything in the weblog out of respect for the astronauts.