9/11 Memories: Astronaut Recalls Heartbreak in Space

Now retired astronaut Frank Culbertson was the only American not on the planet the day of the 9/11 strike, but that certainly doesn't mean that he didn't feel the impact of this tragedy. In fact, as he recalls in letters and a recent video, hearing about the attack from so far away was a profoundly heart-wrenching experience.

The video was uploaded by the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex just yesterday as part of the center's series "Tell Me a Story: Astronaut Tales." However, instead of featuring one of the exciting and often comical stories that characterize the series, Culbertson tells viewers about the efforts taken by him and his colleagues aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to memorialize the Twin Tower tragedy of September 11, 2001.

The now retired astronaut was aboard the ISS with two Russian cosmonauts the day the Twin Towers fell and the Pentagon was attacked. Recalling the day on its 13th anniversary, Culbertson explained that when the first tower was struck, he had no idea that it occurred.

"We didn't have live TV or live internet," he explained, so the only way for the ISS crew to find out about things was from mission control.

That day, the crew just happened to be performing routine physicals, and as the crew's medical officer and commander, it was Culbertson's job to call in the results. But this mundane call changed nature very fast as Flight Sergeant Steve Hart came on the line to tell the astronaut that the United States had been attacked.

Soon into the call, Culbertson dropped everything to see what was occurring for himself. With the help of his crewmates he set up several cameras to see more of what was happening with every orbit.

"As I zoomed in with the video camera I saw this big grey blob basically enveloping the southern part of Manhattan, and what I was seeing was the second tower coming down," he said. "It was just horrible to see my country under attack." (Scroll to read on...)

[Credit: NASA via space.com]

The astronaut recalls how it was also very hard to believe at first. He distinctly remembers he had been reading a fictional novel about terrorist attacks at the time, and he felt as if he was "halfway in the book and halfway in reality."

But reality finally hit home when he heard that his friend and Naval Academy classmate Charles "Chic" Burlingame had died on American Airlines Flight 77, which struck the Pentagon.

He and Chic had both played in the bugle corps at the academy, so in a special tribute, the astronaut played taps in memory of his friend and all who died in the attacks that day.

Letters From Space

Soon after this all occurred, NASA released letters from the astronaut reflecting on the events while still up on the ISS.

"Other than the emotional impact of our country being attacked and thousands of our citizens and maybe some friends being killed, the most overwhelming feeling being where I am is one of isolation," he wrote the night of September 11, 2001.

But that isolation did not last long. According to the letters, Culbertson's colleagues on the station were exceptionally understanding during this hard time, having experienced similar attacks on Moscow in the past.

"They know it's been a tough day for me and the folks on the ground, and they've tried to be as even keeled and helpful as possible. Michael even fixed me my favorite Borscht soup for dinner," he added. "They are very sympathetic and of course outraged at whoever would do this."

Three days following the attack, Culbertson found himself still saddened, but also driven and inspired by the symbolic nature of the ISS itself.

"I hope the example of cooperation and trust that this spacecraft and all the people in the program demonstrate daily will someday inspire the rest of the world to work the same way. They must!"

"Life goes on, even in space. We're here to stay..."

[Credit: NASA/Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex]