Mars features to be named for shuttle crew

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Seven hills on Mars will be named for the members of the last crew of the space shuttle Columbia, NASA announced Tuesday.

The Columbia and its crew were lost over the western United States during re-entry into Earth's atmosphere on Feb. 1, 2003, following a 16-day mission.

NASA will submit names for the Mars features to the International Astronomical Union, recognized as the authority for assigning designations to celestial bodies and their surface features.

Columbia was commanded by Rick Husband and piloted by William McCool. The mission specialists were Michael Anderson, Kalpana Chawla, David Brown and Laurel Clark. Also aboard was payload specialist Ilan Ramon.