The Clarion Ledger spoke with *NSYNC star Lance Bass’ mother Diane Bass following the tragic news yesterday that the seven-member space shuttle Columbia crew perished after the flight broke up over Texas. “He’s very shaken by this,” Diane said. “I think he understands what those astronauts were going through at that particular time of the flight, understands more details than most. And I think he just appreciated them welcoming him into the space ‘family,’ so to speak. He said he was praying for all of NASA and for the families of the astronauts.” In fact, Bass had met commander Rick Husband and pilot William McCool, who were part of the seven member crew.
She says it still is possible that Lance could fly on one of Russia’s missions this year, unless Saturday’s tragedy grounds all flights. “I, of course, do not want him to go,” Diane said. “That’s just a mother’s natural instinct. But he said he would still love the opportunity to explore space one day, and that his interest could possibly inspire other young people to get involved in the space program.”