MIAMI.- This January 25, 2024, NASA celebrates Remembrance Day, a tribute to all those men and women who lost their lives to space exploration, “remembering and giving thanks for the lives and contributions of those who gave everything trying to push the limits of human achievement in favor of space exploration,” according to the statement from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
“NASA Day of Remembrance is an opportunity to honor members who lost their lives in a shared effort to advance exploration and discovery for the good of all humanity,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. . “Every day, we have the opportunity to further elevate the legacies of those who gave their lives in the pursuit of discovery by taking the next big step, meeting each challenge head-on, as they did. In doing so, we must also never forget the lessons learned from each tragedy and embrace our core value of safety.”
The memorial at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia began with a traditional wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, followed by celebrations for the crews of Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia.
It is a special memory of these crews made by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, better known as NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).
Remembering Columbia
The seven-member crew of the STS-107 mission was just 16 minutes from landing on the morning of February 1, 2003, when Mission Control lost contact with the space shuttle Columbia. A piece of foam, which fell from the external tank during launch, had opened a hole in one of the shuttle’s wings, causing the shuttle to explode during re-entry, the official body says on its website.
Remembering the Challenger
Just 73 seconds after launch on the morning of January 28, 1986, a booster engine failed and caused the space shuttle Challenger to explode, killing all seven crew members, NASA recalls to commemorate that date.
Remembering Apollo 1
On January 27, 1967, veteran astronaut Gus Grissom, first American astronaut Ed White, and rookie Roger Chaffee were sitting on the launch pad for a pre-launch test when a fire broke out in their Apollo capsule. The investigation into the fatal accident led to major design and engineering changes, making the Apollo spacecraft safer for future trips to the Moon, NASA said.
Source: NASA
