On The Science Of Discovery: NASA Remembers Crews' Sacrifices: Apollo One, Shuttles Challenger And Columbia -- Mostly Not O/T

And now, all these years later, because those crews deserve a smiling celebration of their bravery and commitment to science -- for their sacrifices, I'll remind us all of why they chose to join America's space program, by running a picture of their progenitors, up top -- the original "Mercury Seven" program astronauts. A quiz -- and no cheating by using Google: Who out there can name all seven (BONUS points: first, middle and last names)? Pointing to the image above (click it to enlarge) -- put 'em in comments!

Here's a bit of President Obama's more traditional message, over at NASA.gov:

. . . .On this Day of Remembrance, we join the American people in honoring the men and women of NASA who have given their lives in our nation’s space program. Our exploration of space has expanded our knowledge of the universe, improved our lives here on Earth and been a source of inspiration and pride for generations of Americans. Today, we remember all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in these endeavors.

We hope that the families, friends and colleagues of those we’ve lost will find some comfort in knowing that their loved ones will always be heroes to a grateful nation – that their passion and courage continue to inspire us to push the boundaries of our imagination and meet grand challenges with joy, here on Earth and among the heavens. Guided by their brave example, the United States will remain a nation of explorers, now and forever. . . .

At the end of the day, I do firmly believe in a life of exploration -- and in science -- of all stripes. It is our future. Go out on Monday; be bold -- have an adventure -- and, discover something! Anything! and do report back on it, next week in the comment boxes.