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Challenger: 40 Years Later, Grief and Vigilance
23 Jan
Summary
- Families gathered 40 years after the Challenger tragedy.
- Cold weather caused O-ring seal failure, leading to disaster.
- NASA learns painful lessons for future space missions.
Families of the astronauts lost in the space shuttle Challenger accident gathered at the Kennedy Space Center on Thursday to mark 40 years since the tragic event. The shuttle broke apart 73 seconds after liftoff on January 28, 1986, resulting in the deaths of all seven crew members. The disaster was attributed to the weakening of O-ring seals due to frigid temperatures.
During the memorial ceremony, relatives shared their enduring grief and reflected on the profound impact of the loss. NASA emphasized that the painful lessons learned from the Challenger disaster, and the subsequent Columbia accident 17 years later, require constant vigilance. This vigilance is deemed more crucial than ever as spaceflight becomes more frequent, with new moon missions on the horizon.
The Space Mirror Memorial at Kennedy's visitor complex bears the names of the Challenger seven, along with those lost in the Columbia disaster, the Apollo 1 fire, and other on-the-job accidents. Relatives of crews from these other tragedies also attended NASA's Day of Remembrance, an annual event held on the fourth Thursday of January.
