Beyonce defends using audio from the space shuttle Challenger
disaster in a new song, calling it a "tribute" to the seven astronauts
who died.
The widow of Challenger's commander calls it "disappointing."
The love song "XO" --
which was released on "The Visual Album" -- starts with the voice of
NASA public affairs officer Steve Nesbitt: "Flight controllers here
looking very carefully at the situation. Obviously, a major
malfunction."
This is what spectators
at Kennedy Space Center or those watching on CNN heard in the first
seconds after seeing the booster rockets spiral out of control in the
blue sky above the Atlantic Ocean, 73 seconds after Challenger lifted
off on January 28, 1986.
"The songwriters included
the audio in tribute to the unselfish work of the Challenger crew with
hope that they will never be forgotten," Beyonce said in a statement
reported by ABC News on Monday.
"My heart goes out to the
families of those lost in the Challenger disaster," Beyonce said in her
statement. "The song 'XO' was recorded with the sincerest intention to
help heal those who have lost loved ones and to remind us that
unexpected things happen, so love and appreciate every minute that you
have with those who mean the most to you."
The love song's lyrics
include the verse: "We don't have forever, Baby daylight's wasting. You
better kiss me before our time is run out."
Dr. June Scobee Rodgers,
whose husband was flight commander Dick Scobee, reacted with a statement
to CNN TV affiliate Central Florida News 13 in Orlando.
"We were disappointed to
learn that an audio clip from the day we lost our heroic Challenger crew
was used in the song 'XO,'" she said. "The moment included in this
song is an emotionally difficult one for the Challenger families,
colleagues and friends."
The space agency also reacted.
"The Challenger accident
is an important part of our history; a tragic reminder that space
exploration is risky and should never be trivialized," NASA spokesman
Allard Beutel said. "NASA works everyday to honor the legacy of our
fallen astronauts as we carry out our mission to reach for new heights
and explore the universe."
All seven crew members,
including Christa McAuliffe, who would have been the first teacher in
space, died in the Challenger explosion.
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