Space commander Rick D. Husband's memory lives on in Amarillo.
On February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia was lost over the skies of Texas. Commanded by the Amarilloan Husband, the shuttle carried seven of NASA's best and brightest, including Lubbock native Willie D. McCool.
The shuttle, commanded by Texas Tech graduate and Amarillo native Husband, had been sent into outer space on a 16-day research mission. After reentering Earth's atmosphere around 8am on February 1, 2003, the shuttle was lost. The tragedy rocked the entire nation and Amarillo.
In honoring Commander Husband, Amarillo renamed its municipal airport the Rick Husband International Airport. Husband was also recognized with other tributes including the naming of Husband Hill on Mars and 51823 Rickhusband, a dark asteroid discovered in 2001. The asteroid was renamed to honor Husband in August of 2003.
The Columbia tragedy will never be forgotten and Rick Husband's memory will always live on in Amarillo.
