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. For millions around the globe, myself included, January 28th, 1986, still feels like yesterday. A section of space shuttle Challenger's fuselage and the window frames from space shuttle Columbia are part of a new memorial, titled 'Forever Remembered,' at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor. NASA administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement on Thursday: “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. In Search of The Bermuda Triangle, the documentary revealing the wreckage, is set to air on Tuesday, November 22nd, on The History Channel. The tragedy ultimately grounded the space shuttle program for 32 months and led to the creation of the agency’s Office of Safety, Reliability and Quality Assurance. The space shuttle was engulfed in a cloud of fire just 73 seconds after liftoff, at an altitude of some 46,000 feet (14,000 meters). Despite concerns from O-ring manufacturer Morton Thiokol’s engineers, the company’s management submitted a recommendation to launch. The launch was broadcast live on national television, and it stands as a tragedy so infamous that many people remember exactly where they were when it happened.īy subscribing, you are agreeing to Engadget's Terms and Privacy Policy.Īn investigation into the explosion revealed that O-ring seals in the solid rocket booster segment joints had stiffened from unexpectedly cold temperatures the night before. Wreckage from the space shuttle Challenger, STS-51L mission, retrieved from the Atlantic Ocean by a flotilla of United States Coast Guard (USCG) and United. McAuliffe was selected from over 11,000 applicants for the position of NASA's Teacher in Space. All six crew members and school teacher Christa McAuliffe were killed in the explosion or resulting impact. The tragic Challenger flight took off on January 28th, 1986, breaking apart only 73 seconds into its journey. NASA says it is considering what additional actions to take regarding the debris. That tipped off the crew members that the wreckage may be NASA-related, and they contacted the space agency, which looked over the footage and confirmed its origin. After reviewing the footage, NASA has confirmed that underwater wreckage filmed off the Florida coast is from the disastrous final flight of the space shuttle Challenger, in which seven people were killed.ĭivers working on the documentary noticed “a large human-made object covered partially by sand on the seafloor.” It had a modern construction, including eight-inch square tiles, commonly used in shuttles’ thermal protection systems.

A documentary crew searching for World War II-era aircraft wreckage recently discovered historical artifacts of a more modern variety.

Space shuttle challenger wreckage