

At NASA, the core value of safety is – and must forever remain – our top priority, especially as our missions explore more of the cosmos than ever before.” “This discovery gives us an opportunity to pause once again, to uplift the legacies of the seven pioneers we lost, and to reflect on how this tragedy changed us. 28, 1986, still feels like yesterday,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in a release. For millions around the globe, myself included, Jan. “While it has been nearly 37 years since seven daring and brave explorers lost their lives aboard Challenger, this tragedy will forever be seared in the collective memory of our country. Its distinctive square tiles led the divers to believe they had found a piece of the Challenger’s underbelly, an area coated with the squares to protect it from heat upon returning to the earth’s atmosphere. The debris is the first to be recovered since pieces of the shuttle washed up on a beach in 1996. law dictates all space shuttle artifacts are U.S. NASA is considering next steps for the artifact to honor the legacy of those who died in the tragedy. This led to a gas leak, causing the major malfunction. Investigations later revealed an unexpected cold front affected a seal on the solid rocket booster segment joints.

McAuliffe was an elementary school teacher set to become the first civilian to enter space. Scobee commanded the mission, and it was piloted by Michael J. The disaster was broadcast live on televisions across the country.įrancis R.

On the morning of Jan 28, 1986, the Challenger space shuttle orbiter launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla., but exploded 73 seconds after takeoff, killing all seven passengers aboard. This week, NASA confirmed the origins of the artifact in a release.įootage of the discovery can be seen on the History Channel’s Twitter account.Īmerica is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news. Footage of the wreckage was captured in May and the team contacted the space administration in August. Instead, divers came upon a 20-foot long piece of debris with a modern construction and square tiles.
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The discovery was made by a documentary crew that set out in search of a World War II-era aircraft as part of a new series called “The Bermuda Triangle: Into Cursed Waters.” NASA confirmed a sunken artifact from the Challenger Space Shuttle was found off the east coast of Florida. The artifact is the first debris from the wreck to be discovered since 1996.In 1986, the shuttle malfunctioned seconds after takeoff, killing all seven passengers aboard.Documentarians found a 20-foot piece of debris from the Challenger Space Shuttle off the coast of Florida.
