In memory of the fallen astronauts, NASA marks today (Feb. 1) as a "Day of Remembrance". Tributes will be paid to the crewmembers of space shuttles Apollo 1 in 1967, the Challenger shuttle in 1986 and space shuttle, Columbia in 2003. Flags across the NASA agency will be flown at half-staff in memory NASA members who lost their lives to the cause of space exploration.
An observance will be held by NASA officials at the astronaut memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. Live coverage of another ceremony, hosted by the Astronauts Memorial Foundation will be televised on NASA Television. The wreath laying ceremony is being held at the Space Mirror Memorial located in Florida, at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
This day holds significance as it's the 10 year anniversary of the Columbia space shuttle disaster that put an end to the space shuttle program. Ten years ago, the Columbia space shuttle was expected to land at NASA Kennedy Space Centers after spending sixteen days in space. The shuttle never landed and broke apart into flames, debris scatted over parts of Louisiana and Texas as a stunned nation watched. During launch, a piece of foam that fell from the external rocket ripped a hole into a shuttle wing. This caused the shuttle to rip apart as it tried to return into the Earth's atmosphere. "In the 10 years since the Columbia investigation, the accident report has become a landmark study in organizational causes of accidents.'', said retired shuttle program manager, Wayne Hale.
Seven astronauts were lost that day, five men and two women. Among the Columbia crew were Commander Rick Husband, co-pilot William McCool, specialists Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown, and Ilan Ramon. Under the decision of President George Bush the shuttle program would end after the International Space Station was finished being built. When space shuttle Atlantis landed in 2011, the program was ended.
This Day of Remembrance also honors Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee from the Apollo 1 crew. The seven member of the Challenger crew are also remembered, among them Francis "Dick" Scobee ,Michael Smith , Judy Resnik ,Ellison Onizuka , Ron McNair, Greg Jarvis and Christa McAuliffe. Special online content is available on NASA's Web site in remembrance of the fallen astronauts.
