Ten years after the September 11 terrorist attacks, tributes to the thousands who lost their lives have extended into space, from Earth’s orbit to the surface of Mars.
Mementos were carried into space for the families of the victims, flags were flown as memorials to the fallen first responders and metal recovered from Ground Zero, the site of the World Trade Center buildings in New York, was incorporated into rovers sent to explore the Red Planet.
American astronauts have also radioed down from space their own tributes, starting the day of the attacks to this week, pausing to remember those who died on the tenth anniversary of their loss.
“It’s gratifying knowing that a piece of the World Trade Center is up there on Mars,” Stephen Gorevan, founder and chairman of Honeybee Robotics that built the rovers’ rock abrasion tools, said. “That shield on Mars, to me, contrasts the destructive nature of the attackers with the ingenuity and hopeful attitude of Americans.”