CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA's space shuttle Challenger launched from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral on its 10th mission on Jan. 28, 1986.
It exploded 73 seconds after liftoff, claiming the lives of all seven people onboard: Gregory Jarvis, Judith Resnik, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair, Mike Smith, Ellison Onizuka and Christa McAuliffe.
NASA remembered the fallen Challenger astronauts, as well as the crews of Apollo 1 and the space shuttle Columbia, in its Day of Remembrance ceremony Thursday. Many gathered at the Kennedy Space Center to remember astronauts killed in the line of duty, and other ceremonies were held at NASA centers around the country.
The NASA remembrance ceremony began in 2004 and pays homage to three of the agency's most devastating tragedies: the Apollo I fire, the loss of the space shuttle Challenger and the loss of the space shuttle Columbia.
While each tragedy happened within the same calendar week, they occurred decades apart from each other.
Due to the clustering of the three dates, NASA sets aside the last Thursday of every January to commemorate its fallen astronauts.
Sunday marks the 38th anniversary of the Challenger tragedy.
Along with experienced astronauts, the shuttle carried Christa McAuliffe, who was set to be the first teacher in space. The New Hampshire woman had been selected to join and teach lessons from space to children around the country.
Months after the incident, an investigation found that the two rubber O-rings, which were designed to separate sections of the rocket booster, failed due to weather. The shuttle launched on a cold Florida morning despite behind-the-scenes concerns from engineers, a 2021 NASA article states.
“Our annual Day of Remembrance honors the sacrifice of the NASA family who lost their lives in the pursuit of discovery,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement. “While it is a solemn day, we are forever thankful that our fallen heroes shared their spirt of exploration with NASA, our country, and the world. Today, and every day, we embrace NASA’s core value of safety as we expand our reach in the cosmos for the benefit of all humanity.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
