By DPA,
Washington : US space agency NASA Friday paused to remember the deadly explosion of the space shuttle Challenger this day 25 years ago.
The shuttle broke up just after launch Jan 28, 1986, killing all seven astronauts on board. The disaster was watched on live television by many Americans, including schoolchildren tuned in to see the first teacher-astronaut Christa McAuliffe travel into space.
A memorial service was planned at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden marked an annual Day of Remembrance for astronauts killed in service Thursday by placing a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington.
The day is also used to honour three astronauts killed in a fire aboard Apollo I Jan 27, 1967 and the seven crew members killed when the shuttle Columbia disintegrated on re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere Feb 1, 2003.
“Throughout history, however, we have seen that achieving great things sometimes comes at great cost and we mourn the brave astronauts who made the ultimate sacrifice in support of NASA missions throughout the agency’s storied history,” President Barack Obama said in a statement.
“Through triumph and tragedy, each of us has benefited from their courage and devotion, and we honour their memory by dedicating ourselves to a better tomorrow. Despite the challenges before us today, let us commit ourselves and continue their valiant journey toward a more vibrant and secure future.”
In 1967, Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffe were killed on the launch pad when a flash fire engulfed their command module during testing for the first Apollo/Saturn mission. They were the first US astronauts to die in the line of duty.
The US space shuttle Columbia broke up 203,000 feet over north central Texas 9.00 a.m. EST Feb 1, 2003, as it descended from orbit into the atmosphere towards a landing at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The seven astronauts who were aboard the Shuttle Columbia were David Brown, Laurel Clark, William McCool, Ilan Ramon, Michael Anderson, India-born Kalpana Chawla, and Rick Husband. All of them were killed in the tragedy.