On February 1, 2003 I was not scheduled to work at the NASA-Johnson Space Center (JSC). It was a Saturday and I was out of town to participate in a fencing competition in San Marcos, Texas. I had time before the event so I relaxed in the motel watching the news. When the news came on about the Columbia not responding to any communication, it was clear something was wrong. I skipped the competition to watch the news. I took a couple of photos and wrote in my journal.

After a few hours, I returned to Houston. I lived near NASA-JSC so I walked along Saturn Lane to burn off energy as I headed for the agency's sign. It was hours since the news of Columbia’s tragic end and people had been leaving their hearts and tears along with items of condolences.