February 10, 2003
Colours at Full Mast
At the fall of the night, the flag of the United
States is lowered and folded. The red and white
stripes are wrapped into the blue, as the light of the
day vanishes into the night. Yet, the night on the
flag is not dark. On the blue field, shines a
constellation of white stars.
For the second time in two years, this constellation is flying at half mast. In September 2001, it honoured the first heroes fallen in the war against terror. And in February 2003, it honours the crew of the Columbia, the latest heroes fallen in the battle against our own limits.
Yet, there are six American flags that do not fly at half mast, but honour even more their sacrifice. These flags were put on the Moon by people who came in peace for all mankind.
These lunar flags were honouring, in 1986, other fallen heroes - the crew of the Challenger. We, on Earth, never did honour them as we should have - because we never carried their dreams forward. Instead, we denied that there is a forward. NASA renounced to be destination-driven. When one does not have a destination, one has no vision. And, where there is no vision, people perish.
When the Star-Spangled Banners returned at the top of the pole after mourning the Challenger, the sails of our ships continued to fly at half mast. Yes, we went back as high as them, but never higher. We remembered there was a Challenger, yet we were afraid to challenge. While our dreams wonder beyond the horizon and play among the stars, our ships are anchored in the shallow waters of the Low Earth Orbit.
We ought to cross this new Proclamation Line, and venture forth into this new ocean, into the vast plains of Mars and beyond, carrying with us the spirit of freedom. We ought to honour the fallen heroes of Columbia and Challenger not by shedding tears and flying flags at half mast here, but by laughing under flags flying high in the winds of Mars.
Since September 11, America is at war against the terror. Yet, it must not forget the other front line, where humankind wages war against its own limits. A battle that must never end - because, beyond every frontier, lies another one.
When the fire-fighters fell on September 11, they were not battling the fire with superseded weapons. Columbia, however, was almost three decades old. And when the fire-fighters died on Ground Zero, nobody questioned the usefulness of their profession. Yet, there were voices who called for an end of manned space exploration after the fall of the Columbia. Heroes deserve respect, regardless of the front line.
They say that, when it is dark enough, people see the stars. But, darkness is just the herald of a new dawn. And, when unfolded at the break of this new day, may the flag fly as high as the highest mast - the infinity of the Star-Spangled sky.
Virgiliu Pop
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Virgiliu Pop, Lic.Jur., LL.M., Ph.D. Candidate (Glasgow)
State Representative - Space Generation Advisory
Council in support of the UN Programme on Space Applications
Member, International Institute of Space Law
Lecteur, Faculte de Droit, Universite Lille II
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