A triumph of the human spirit

     Your mission served your country. It served to remind us all of our proud heritage of a nation. To remind us that in this stage of technicians and scientific marvels that the individual still counts. That in a crisis, the character of a man or men, will make the difference. Adversity brings out the character of a man. Confronted suddenly and unexpectedly with grave peril in the far reaches of space, he demonstrated a calm courage and quiet heroism that stands as an example to men everywhere. This safe return is a triumph of the human spirit of those special qualities of man himself we rely on when machines fail. And we rely on also for those things that machines cannot do.
                 -- Final lines of the film