posted 10-02-2003 01:01 PM               

Feb. 1 will be a day of mixed emotions in Houston. The Super Bowl, with all its festivities, will be held in the city for the first time in 30 years.

But for many, especially those in NASA's extended family, it will also rekindle the painful memory of Columbia's breakup over Texas exactly one year before. The NFL will mark the occasion at Reliant Stadium by honoring the crew and the commitment to space exploration, said Jim Steeg, an NFL senior vice president in charge of the Super Bowl.

The next day, Feb. 2, the crew will be memorialized with a bronze plaque to be dedicated at Arlington National Cemetery, at a black-tie gala at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum and, possibly, a visit with President Bush at the White House.