They had blasted off from Cape Canaveral last January to the thunderous roar of Challenger's five rocket engines. They returned last week to a respectfully silent ceremony on the Cape's runway where their shuttle mission, if successful, would have landed. The quiet was broken only by two disparate sounds: the somber cadence of tramping boots as an Air Force honor guard gently placed the seven flag-draped coffins aboard a Lockheed C-141 transport plane, and the cheery song of a nearby flock of mockingbirds.
Each casket, bearing the remains of one of Challenger's crew, was accompanied by an astronaut. Top officials of...
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