“The grieving are calling out to Jesus–and God and HaShem and Krishna. They are chanting passages from the New Testament, the Torah, Unitarian readings, and the Vedas.| The crew of Columbia represents an extraordinary variety of faith traditions:

• Kalpana Chawla – Hindu
• William McCool – Roman Catholic
• Ilan Ramon – Jewish
• Rick Husband – Charismatic
• Laurel Clark – Unitarian
• David Brown – Episcopalian
• Michael Anderson – Baptist

“This is just the way America is right now. Seek the best and the brightest, and you’ll invariably scoop up a great assortment of faiths.”

—Seven Heroes, Seven FaithsBeliefNet)

I wish I had the time to delve into this excellent compilation of brief bios, commentaries on the funeral/memorial services associated with each faith, and links to off-site resources on the religious traditions of each astronaut.