Students who want to talk about Saturday’s Columbia tragedy and the future of the NASA space flight program can voice their opinions at an Iowa State Space Society meeting Tuesday.

The group made a last-minute decision to pull together a meeting that will reflect on Saturday’s disaster, Columbia’s crew and the history of both, said Dana Haugli, lecturer in aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics and the group’s adviser.

The meeting will be held 5 p.m. Tuesday in Room 204 of Marston Hall.

Justin Goranson, senior in aerospace engineering and the group’s treasurer, said anyone is welcome to attend the meeting.

The group, which was created in the 1970s, consists of a diverse population of students who are interested in space and wish to learn more about it, Goranson said.

Most of the meeting will consist of a presentation on Columbia, giving information abut the flight and tragedy, said Adam Chipman, senior in agricultural studies and president of the group.

Ryan Westbrock, sophomore in aerospace engineering and a self-declared “space buff,” will give the presentation on Columbia.

He was scheduled to do a different presentation, but decided to discuss the Columbia when he heard of the events on Saturday, Chipman said.

“It will be along the lines of a brief overview [of the Columbia flight], with up-to-date info, possible causes, what NASA is doing and the space program’s future,” Westbrock said.

Haugli said he has advised those in charge of the meeting to avoid addressing theories behind the cause of the crash, because there are so many.

Westbrock said he will also try to answer questions about the tragedy, using what information he can find on the Internet and his own personal knowledge.

Goranson said the meeting will be a forum for anybody to discuss what happened Saturday, how it will affect the space program and other concerns people have.

A memory book will also be passed around for people to record their thoughts on the event, said Russell Cox, the group’s publicity co-chairman.

Cox said the book will possibly be given to the Rev. Douglas and Betty Haviland, the uncle and aunt of Laurel Clark, who was a member of the Columbia crew and was born in Ames. Group members hope other groups that express interest in space will have an opportunity to contribute to the book, Cox said.

The group hosts speakers throughout the year and, at one time, thought about getting Clark to speak at a meeting.

“It will be a memorial and forum for thought on the [Columbia] tragedy,” Haugli said.