Bill Nelson, administrator of NASA, said in a statement: “For millions of people globally, myself included, January 28, 1986, still feels like yesterday. “This discovery gives us the opportunity to pause again, to enhance the legacy of the seven pioneers we lost, and to reflect on how this tragedy has changed us. “
The crew members killed were Lieutenant Colonel Ellison S. Onizuka of the Air Force; pilot, Cmdr. Michael J. Smith of the Navy; Christa McAuliffe, a high school teacher; mission commander, Francis R. Scobee; Gregory B. Jarvis; Dr. Ronald E. McNair, country second black astronaut; and Dr. Judith A. Resnik, a biomedical engineer.
17 years after the Challenger explosion, Columbia, another space shuttle, was re-entered Earth’s atmosphere on February 1, 2003, when it broke apart, killing 7 crew members and sending debris across Texas.
McAuliffe’s participation in the Challenger mission stirred excitement among the country’s students and educators, with thousands of them, including Mr. Barnette, watching the launch, fascinated by the possibility The possibility of having a teacher in space.
“I remember that day, I remember where I was,” Mr. Barnette said. “It evokes all those emotions and what the whole nation has been through.”
Mr. Barnette said he could not disclose the exact location of the discovery because officials did not want amateur divers to touch and damage the debris. But Mr. Barnette and NASA said it was located off the coast of Florida near Cape Canaveral, northwest of an area known as the Bermuda Triangle. The puzzle piece, which is a government property, will remain there until NASA decides what to do next.
The agency said it is “considering what additional actions it can take regarding the artifact that will properly honor the legacy of Challenger’s fallen astronauts and the families who love them.”
