![]() ![]() Challenger was designed to withstand a wing-loading force of 3 G’s (three times gravity), with another 1.5 G safety factor built in. The explosive release of fuel that dismembered the wings and other parts of the shuttle were not that great to cause immediate death, or even serious injury to the crew. ![]() NASA’s intensive, meticulous studies of every facet of that explosion, comparing what happened to other blowups of aircraft and spacecraft, and the knowledge of the forces of the blast and the excellent shape and construction of the crew cabin, finally led some investigators to a mind-numbing conclusion. Mike Smith uttered his final words for history, preserved on a crew cabin recorder. Something awful, something that had never before happened to a shuttle, was upon them like a great beast. They learned that at the instant of ignition of the main fuel tank, when a sheet of flame swept up past the window of pilot Mike Smith, there could be no question Smith knew - even in that single moment - that disaster had engulfed them. They studied all the crew cabin’s systems - even the smallest, most insignificant piece of wreckage. Veteran astronauts Robert Crippen and Bob Overmyer, along with other top experts, sifted through every bit of tracking data. A 2-year-long investigation into how the crew cabin, and possibly its occupants, had survived was begun. On first inspection, it was obvious that the shuttle Challenger’s crew vessel had survived the explosion during ascent. The divers began their grim task of recovering the slashed and twisted remains of Challenger’s crew cabin and the remains of its seven occupants. We will never forget your dedication and sacrifice."įor updates on this story, follow Nick Natario on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.Early the next morning, the USS Preserver recovery ship put to sea. On behalf of a grateful City, I extend my condolences to all of the astronaut's families, NASA employees and everyone touched by these tragedies. "They 'dreamed big,' devoting their careers and their hearts to help our nation explore space. "Thousands of people in Friendswood were devoted to the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs," said mayor Mike Foreman in a statement. ![]() 28 anniversary of Challenger and the 1967 Apollo I disaster were especially hard on the Houston area and the Johnson Space Center. The Columbia Accident Investigating Board rebuilt it piece by piece inside a hangar at the Kennedy Space Center. In the Columbia accident, pieces were left scattered across several states. 27, 1967, while the Columbia disaster that killed seven happened on Feb. The Apollo 1 fire that killed three was on Jan. It also remembers those who died in the Apollo 1 and Columbia accidents. NASA observes a Day of Remembrance on Jan. "The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them." "The future doesn't belong to the faint-hearted. I am rather confident that it is one of the largest pieces ever found of Challenger," NASA program manager, Mike Ciannilli said.īecause of the proximity to the Florida Space Coast, the item's modern construction and the presence of 8-inch square tiles, the documentary team contacted NASA, who wanted to ensure that the surviving family members of the Challenger crew were notified first. The dive team was working for a History Channel documentary about the Bermuda Triangle and looking for wreckage of a World War II-era aircraft when they noticed a large humanmade object covered partially by sand on the seafloor, NASA says. NASA officials tell ABC13 that a 20-foot segment of the shuttle was discovered and recovered by divers off the East coast of Florida. NASA said that it's "carefully considering additional actions to take that will properly honor the legacy of the Challenger, the crew members who were lost, and the families who loĪ stunning discovery has been made 36 years after the Challenger space shuttle disaster. ![]()
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