The ARRL Letter from The American Radio Relay League reports that the members of the all-ham crew onboard the International Space Station said this week that while they grieve the loss of the shuttle Columbia crew, human space exploration must continue and they're ready to spend up to a year in space if necessary. The ISS crew made its first public comments since the February 1 shuttle disaster in two news conferences this week.

"My first reaction was pure shock," Expedition 6 crew commander Ken
Bowersox, KD5JBP, told reporters February 11, when asked about how he felt
when he heard the news that Columbia and her crew were lost. "I was numb
and could not believe that it was happening." During serial briefings
February 12 with CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC, Bowersox and his crew reiterated
their resolve to stay the course, remaining in space for up to a year if
necessary.

Bowersox said that once it became unlikely that there were any survivors
from the Columbia catastrophe, "we discussed all of the different options
for how it would affect us." He said he was confident that the crew would
have a way to get home. "We've got a Soyuz vehicle parked right outside,"
he said.

Pettit--who had played chess via radio and e-mail with Columbia pilot
Willie McCool during the Columbia STS-107 science mission--said he's hoped
the crew somehow had made it safely to the ground. He said the magnitude
of the tragedy hit him when the ISS crew realized that there were no
survivors. "I'm the type that likes to grieve quietly and in private," he
said February 12.

Budarin said he's comfortable with staying in orbit as long as necessary,
now that NASA has indefinitely grounded the shuttle fleet. The Russian
cosmonaut told a CBS reporter that he has experienced seven months in
orbit before aboard Mir, and that he's hoping for a good landing back on
Earth--whether via the US space shuttle or the Russian Soyuz escape
vehicle that's attached to the space station.

Bowersox said the crew was happy to stay aboard the ISS. "We like it
aboard space station," he said. "We're going to enjoy however many months
we have to stay on orbit." Bowersox said February 12 the crew did not feel
isolated and had plenty of contact with family and friends and that, while
not operating at peak efficiency, the crew members would continue to move
forward with the "serious tasks" ahead of them. "We'll be working through
that grieving process for the rest of the time we're here, I think."

Pettit, the Expedition 6 science officer, said the crew's work schedule
has suffered from the effects of the Columbia tragedy. "But now, it looks
like we'll have plenty of time to finish all that we have remaining on our
task list." he added.

Pettit said that cutting the crew size would hurt scientific research
because the crew would spend a lot more of its time just maintaining the
ISS. But, he pointed out, research into how humans cope physiologically in
space would continue and would make the risk of human spaceflight
worthwhile. "This is a matter where you can decide as a society can decide
to lead the way, step aside or follow," Pettit told NBC News anchorman Tom
Brokaw. Space exploration is "an investment in your future, and, as such,
you can't let a setback stop your exploration activities."

The Expedition 6 crew has been aboard the ISS since November and was
scheduled to return to Earth aboard the shuttle Atlantis in March.
Unmanned Progress cargo rockets, including one that docked February 4, are
providing fuel and supplies. On February 11, the crew used the Progress to
boost the stations' orbit by about six miles (the ISS is approximately 250
miles above Earth). The crew reportedly has sufficient provisions to last
at least until June. A Soyuz taxi crew is scheduled to visit the ISS in
April to drop off a new Soyuz capsule and return the one now attached to
the ISS.

The crew has not used the NA1SS onboard ham station since the last Amateur
Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) school contact in
January. The next scheduled ARISS contact is set for February 21, with
students at Oregon State University.