What could unite people from a nation with a history of religious Puritanism, people from an atheist nation that is history, and a religious people that have been without a nation for most of their history? Answer: Death and Science, not necessarily in that order.
From the Baltimore Sun
Amid prayers, a few tears and the playing of three national anthems -American, Israeli and Russian - the astronauts, cosmonauts and others at yesterday's memorial service sought solace from their colleagues. A similar ceremony is scheduled for today at Johnson Space Center in Houston.