This morning, astronaut Eileen Collins exclaimed a "perfect-ten" landing for the space shuttle Discovery as the craft touched down at Cape Canaveral in Florida. NASA and the nation drew a collective sigh of relief. The silence and static from Columbia's radios in 2003 still lingers in my memory, and I couldn't help getting choked up watching the broadcast today.

David Brown, one of the mission specialists on board the ill-fated Columbia STS-107, was an alumnus of the College of William and Mary. So it was only natural for me to want to keep my eyes glued to my alma mater's first astronaut taking on such a bold adventure. An adventure that unfortunately ended an hour too soon on a quiet morning over the Texas sky. It struck me hard, just as I remember seeing my dad, a close friend of the McAuliffe family, after the Challenger disaster back when I was in elementary school.

In 2002, David Brown shared his thoughts at William and Mary's opening ceremony for the freshman class: "As a boy I had dreamed about going into space, [but] I had completely forgotten about that until one day... Never underestimate yourself. Go after those dreams." David always knew going into space was a risky endeavor. He spoke of it often. But he reminded those starry-eyed college students four years ago that these are the risks that allow us to progress to new heights, just as pioneers have done for centuries.

Discovery and its crew brought fresh supplies and some welcomed cheer to the nearly completed International Space Station, one important step that leads us onward in our quest to the Moon, Mars and beyond. And equally important, the crew returned safely home with a graceful glide across a stretch of the Florida coast. With the spirits of heroes from Columbia and Challenger at their side, David's dream lives on in our next generation of pioneers.

You got to leave me now, you got to go alone; you got to chase a dream, one that's all your own before it slips away. When you're flying high, take my heart along; I'll be the harmony to every lonely song that you learn to play. When you're soaring through the air, I'll be your solid ground. Take every chance you dare: I'll still be there when you come back down.

I'll keep looking up, awaiting your return. My greatest fear will be that you will crash and burn and I won't feel your fire. I'll be the other hand that always holds the line, connecting in between your sweet heart and mine. I'm strung out on that wire. And I'll be on the other end, to hear you when you call. Angel, you were born to fly, if you get too high, I'll catch you when you fall.

-Nickel Creek, "When You Come Back Down"