Entry tags:

apollo, earth, history, memoriam, nasa, space, space shuttle, teacher

Remembering Challenger STS 51-L and Apollo 1

On the 28 January 1986, the seven crew members of Challenger Shuttle STS 51-L tragically died when Challenger exploded 73 seconds after launch from the Kennedy Space Center about 11:40 a.m., EST, on January 28, 1986. The explosion occurred because a leak in one of two Solid Rocket Boosters that ignited the main liquid fuel tank. Columbia was the first Space Shuttle that traveled to Earth orbit. Astronaut Sharon Christa McAuliffe, was to be the first teacher to fly in space. She was inspired by the the Apollo moon landing program and wrote on her astronaut application form"I watched the Space Age being born and I would like to participate."

On 27 January 1966, three NASA astronauts tragically died when their Apollo 1 command module caught fire on top of a Saturn IB rocket during a dress rehearsal at Cape Canaveral. Gus Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee tragically died from  inhaling carbon monoxide and other toxic gases generated by a flash fire from an electrical arc in an equipment bay.  Their mission was to test this new spacecraft in Earth orbit. Future Apollo crews would rely on this to see them safely on their journeys to and from the moon.

The NASA family pauses each January for a Day of Remembrance honoring the memories of those who have given their lives in the cause of exploration and discovery.