The tragedy of the Challenger has not been forgotten by the science world. Yet, a reminder has been recovered by a TV documentary team on the ocean floor, off of Florida's Space Coast. Although, it was not the intent of the History Channel's team, since they were filming for a new series, "The Bermuda Triangle: Into Cursed Waters."
The Documentary Team
Originally, the documentary team from History Channel was searching for the wreckage of a downed World War II aircraft. As they scoured the ocean, they came across an artifact, which appeared to be 8-inch square thermal protection tiles or heat shields. NASA reviewed the underwater search footage and confirmed that it was indeed, a part of the Challenger space shuttle, as mentioned in Space.com.
The divers noticed that among the natural matter on the ocean floor, there was a man-made object partially covered by sand on the seafloor. They contacted the agency, as they suspected that it was an object from NASA. The space agency said that it was considering the next course of action, regarding the found spacecraft debris.
Remembering the Challenger Crew
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson issued a statement. He expressed that the discovery gives us the opportunity to remember the seven pioneers that passed, and reflect on how the tragedy changed us. He added that although it happened 37 years ago, the tragedy will forever be seared in the memory of the country.
Among the impacted was Christa McAuliffe, a school teacher. She was chosen for NASA's Teacher in Space, which had over 11,000 applications. Aboard the space shuttle was also commander Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, pilot Michael J. Smith, specialist Ronald E. McNair, payload specialist Gregory B. Jarvis, Ellison S. Onizuka, and Judith A. Reznik.
The Challenger launched on January 28, 1986, as mentioned by Engadget. Just 73 seconds after liftoff, the spacecraft fell apart, marking a tragedy that will be remembered for years to come. A search and salvage effort went on for seven months after the crash. It was the largest effort conducted by the US Coast Guard and US Navy at the time.
In their search, they recovered 167 pieces of the space shuttle, which weighed a total of 118 tons. The debris accounted for 47% of the orbiter Challenger, 33% of the external tank, 50% of the solid rocket boosters, and around 40% to 95% of the three primary payloads. A program manager of NASA's Apollo, Mike Ciannilli, issued a statement regarding what the History Channel team has found.
He noted that he was confident about it being the largest piece ever found of the Challenger. He added that NASA will put the find to good use, and the memory and legacy of the crew and their families first. Ciannilli also mentioned that the first thing they did was notify the families of the crew that perished in the tragedy. He did it so the families would be aware of the huge discovery that was made that day.
