Laurel Clark was one of the seven astronauts who died on 1 February

After the loss of the space shuttle and all its crew, the Scholastic News first considered its March issue with an article by Mrs Clark and her eight-year-old son Iain as too tragic to use.

The newspaper's editor quickly wrote to teachers, recommending them not to use the edition - and the feature entitled My mom is an astronaut - in classrooms.

So many emotions and issues are tied with this article now: sadness and hope, exploration and discovery, challenge and risk Jonathan Clark, Widower

But after learning of the newspaper's decision, the astronaut's widower, Jonathan, encouraged teachers to run the article, saying his wife "would have wanted" it.

"My family hopes that you will consider this... issue in your classroom, even though this may remind everyone of this great loss," Mr Clark wrote in a letter on the Scholastic News' website.

"Laurel loved children and education was her passion. She would have wanted children to see this article as well."

'Spirit'

"What makes us alive often involves some risk," Mr Clark, a Nasa flight surgeon, wrote in the letter.

Mr Clark, with his son Iain, said his wife "would have wanted children to see this article"

"One of Laurel's favourite quotes was: 'A ship in harbour is safe - but that is not what ships are for'.

"So many emotions and issues are tied with this article now: sadness and hope, exploration and discovery, challenge and risk, to name a few.

"It is now up to the educators and parents to pass this spirit on to our legacy and future, our children."

A spokeswoman for the Scholastic News was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying that the response to the feature had been very positive.

Jennifer Slackman said that many teachers "have congratulated us on a great issue and tool to help them talk about what happened to Columbia".

Here is my mom in space - look at her hair! Iain, Laurel Clark's son

In the four-page edition, Iain wrote brief explanations of his mother's job.

"Here is my mom in space. Look at her hair!" he wrote, referring to a picture of his mother orbiting the Earth in the shuttle.

"My mom worked hard to go to space. She trained for over two years!"

Laurel Clark was one of seven astronauts killed in the 1 February disaster, when Columbia broke up just minutes before its scheduled landing.

She was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on the outskirts of the US capital, Washington, on Monday.