With a genuine sense of loss, the United States and the world continue to mourn the astronauts who flew on the shuttle Columbia, STS-107. But before the news coverage of the February 1st tragedy, very few Americans knew much about those seven brave men and women. That was not the case for many HUD staff in Region VI's Houston Field Office and HUD's Neighborhood Networks: for them, Lt. Col. Michael Anderson, USAF, was someone they had worked with and admired.

Mike Anderson with potential future astronaut Creshun Jones.

NASA's astronaut corps - in addition to being intelligent, highly skilled and committed to their mission and the nation - also is known for 'giving back' to the community. Astronaut Michael Anderson is a textbook example of that NASA tradition. On March 13, 2000, HUD and NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) conducted a joint web cast from NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas. Lt. Col. Anderson was the key to this nationwide Neighborhood Networks event. The web cast allowed children at Internet-connected sites in over 500 HUD-assisted housing complexes to chat in real time with this American hero, about his experiences as a pilot, an astronaut and a black American.

During the webcast, Lt. Col. Anderson fielded questions from many low-income children across the country, and his wisdom and thoughtful answers certainly helped empower and change the lives of many of them that day. But this busy astronaut's day was not simply a walk-on for an Internet chat. He stayed afterwards to talk with the kids at the facility and have his picture taken with them. He gave four children living in HUD-subsidized apartments in the Houston area a VIP tour of the JSC - including a visit to Mission Control and access to a full-size mock up of the Space Shuttle. The tour was arranged - and will always be remembered - by Houston HUD's Public Housing Revitalization Specialist Lorraine Walls and by her husband, Walter Walls of Jaymark Engineering, a NASA contractor, who assisted in the project.

American hero Mike Anderson autographing his photograph for HUD kids T-America Burns and Thelma Woods.

"The highlight of the day for the kids was the opportunity to meet and talk with a real astronaut, and Mike Anderson did not disappoint them," said Steve Brewer, an Operations Specialist and one of the program's organizers in HUD's Houston office. "He (Lt. Col. Anderson) was waiting for them when they arrived at the broadcast studio, and he immediately began to chat and interact with them. During the tour, he saw that one of the children hadn't smiled very much. But Mike just started to talk with her, and she just turned around completely. His genuine interest in others, personal warmth, and intelligence were clear to everyone, and no more so than to the kids."

President Bush, in his remarks during the memorial service at the Johnson Space Center on February 4, pointed out that Mike Anderson had become a role model for the many children he spoke to in schools during his time as an astronaut. Astronaut Anderson's exemplary character and spirit shine through in the transcript of the NASA/Neighborhood Networks web cast. The following answers are in his own words:

Q: What was the first thing that you thought about when you were in space for the first time?

A: The first thing I thought about when I got to space was the fact that all of these years of hard work and training had paid off. My dream had finally come true. I think dreams are very important. You should find out what your dream is and pursuit it. When we went from the gravity of earth to the zero gravity of space, I knew my dream had come true. When you look back at Earth and see how beautiful it is, you realize how special it is. I felt very honored and blessed to be allowed to travel into space and see this.

Q: Has being black made it harder to get where you are?

A: Throughout life, every individual faces challenges. The key to facing those challenges is having confidence and faith in yourself. Instead of giving up, I always looked for an open window of opportunity. You have to take advantage of those windows. Whatever obstacles face you, don't let them stop you. Be willing to work hard to get all the tools you need so you can take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves.

Words to live by for all of us who live in America, with greater opportunities available to us than any nation in the world - as we work in our own ways to create a better future for everyone on Planet Earth.