During NASA's annual "Day of Remembrance" today (Jan. 27), the agency will take a moment to remember the lives lost in the quest of space exploration.
The 55th anniversary of the Apollo 1 fire on January 27, 1967 is commemorated in this year's issue. Two other somber anniversaries occur in the next six days: the Challenger shuttle catastrophe on Jan. 28, 1986, and the Columbia shuttle accident on Feb. 1, 2003.
The agency is planning a panel discussion regarding safety and lessons gained at 3:30 p.m., as well as multiple livestreamed events of various center commemorations (listed below). EST (Eastern Standard Time) (2130 GMT). The discussion will be broadcast live on NASA Television, the NASA website, and the NASA app.
"NASA's Day of Remembrance is an opportunity to honor members of the NASA family who lost their lives in our shared endeavor to advance exploration and discovery for the good of all humanity," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement.
"Every day, we have an opportunity to further uplift the legacies of those who gave their lives in pursuit of discovery by taking the next giant leap, meeting every challenge head-on, as they did. In doing so, we also must never forget the lessons learned from each tragedy, and embrace our core value of safety."
During a launchpad test, the Apollo 1 fire killed NASA astronauts Gus Grissom, Roger Chaffee, and Ed White. The cause of the fire was never determined with certainty, but inadequate wiring and an oxygen-rich environment both contributed to the situation. The astronauts were practicing for the Apollo program's first crewed launch: an Earth-orbiting mission designed to train the system for future flights to the moon.
The Challenger exploded just over two minutes after launch, killing seven astronauts. The technical cause was primarily due to a fault in a booster joint known as a "O-ring." The crew included commander Francis "Dick" Scobee, pilot Mike Smith, mission specialists Judy Resnik, Ellison Onizuka, and Ron McNair, and payload specialists Greg Jarvis and Christa McAuliffe, who was set to be the first teacher in space.
Due to wing damage caused by foam falling off a portion of the launch system, the Columbia space shuttle disintegrated during reentry. The heat shield on the shuttle was damaged. Commander Rick Husband, commander, pilot William McCool, payload commander Michael Anderson, mission specialists David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, and Laurel Clark, and Ilan Ramon, an Israeli Space Agency payload specialist, were all killed in the disaster.
