It wasn’t exactly business as usual at the Iowa State Space Society’s meeting Tuesday night.

Due to Saturday’s Columbia tragedy, the leaders and the members of the society paid tribute to the astronauts of the Columbia mission.

At the beginning of the meeting, Adam Chipman, president of the society, asked the members to maintain a respectful, solemn atmosphere to honor the lives that were lost.

“We didn’t want to make light of the event because seven lives were lost,” said Chipman, senior in agricultural studies.

The society’s weekly meetings are held at 5 p.m. every Tuesday in Room 204 in Marston Hall. The meetings usually include a discussion on the group’s upcoming events and often a presentation by one of its members.

Ryan Westbrock was scheduled to speak for this week’s meeting, but after the Columbia tragedy, he decided to include a tribute to each of the seven astronauts in his presentation.

“These seven people are heroes to our country and the world,” said Westbrock, sophomore in aerospace engineering. “They will truly be missed.”

The society also discussed paying tribute to the Columbia mission at Veishea. The group considered having a booth dedicated to the tragedy and possibly making the Columbia tragedy the theme of its float.

Vice president Natasha Krentz, junior in pre-business, said the meeting’s itinerary change did attract a few new faces. Of the 23 people who attended the event, she said she saw about eight new people.

The society’s meetings usually attract members of all different majors, but they all have an interest in space programs and exploration, said Dana Haugli, lecturer in aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics and the group’s adviser.

A memory book was passed around during the meeting that will be given to Columbia crew member Laurel Clark’s relatives, the Rev. Douglas and Betty Haviland, of Ames. The Havilands were Clark’s uncle and aunt.

The attendees of the meetings had an open discussion on the tragedy and their predictions for the future of the space program. The group plans to write a letter from the entire ISU community to NASA to pay respect to the crew members and show support for the continuance of space travel.

“Exploration will go on,” Westbrock said in his presentation. “There’s always going to be little kids, and a couple of big ones, that will look up at the sky and wonder what’s out there.”