posted 01-24-2012 11:48 AM               

NASA Day Of Remembrance At Kennedy Space Center Jan. 26

NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., will pay tribute to the crews of Apollo 1 and space shuttles Challenger and Columbia, as well as other NASA colleagues, during the agency's Day of Remembrance observance on Thursday, Jan. 26.

Media and the general public are invited to a wreath-laying at 10:30 a.m. EST at the Space Mirror Memorial at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Kennedy Center Director and former astronaut Bob Cabana will take part in the ceremony.

NASA's Day of Remembrance honors members of the NASA family who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery.

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will provide flowers for visitors in the morning to place at the memorial. For more information, please call 321-449-4400.

Kennedy contractors and civil servants will be allowed access to the Space Mirror Memorial throughout the day to pay their respects.

The Astronauts Memorial Foundation (AMF), a private, not-for-profit organization, built and maintains the Space Mirror Memorial. It was dedicated in 1991 to honor all astronauts who lost their lives on missions or during training and since has been designated a National Memorial by Congress.

posted 01-24-2012 11:51 AM               

Special Screening of "An Article Of Hope"

On NASA's Day of Remembrance, Jan. 26, you are invited to attend a special screening of the film, "An Article of Hope," at 3 p.m., in NASA Headquarters auditorium.

"An Article of Hope" traces the journey of the tiny Torah scroll smuggled into a German concentration camp during the Holocaust and safeguarded by Joachim Joseph, a Holocaust survivor. The scroll was then carried into space on STS-107 by Col. Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut.

Ramon and his six fellow crewmembers on STS-107 were lost in the Columbia accident on Feb. 1, 2003.

Members of the public may attend the NASA HQ screening without going through security to enter the rest of the building. For more information, please contact Christine Peterson at 202-358-1803.

This film will also be screened on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 10 a.m. in NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's B.3 auditorium. Dan Cohen, the film's director will be available to answer any questions at the GSFC screening.

If you would like to attend the GSFC screening and do not have a NASA badge, please contact the Goddard Office of Communications (by Jan. 27) at 301-286-8955.

posted 01-26-2012 08:17 AM               

Each January, NASA's Day of Remembrance honors the fallen crews of Apollo 1, space shuttles Challenger and Columbia, and all of those who have given their lives in the cause of exploration.

posted 01-26-2012 10:04 AM               

Statement by the President on NASA's Day of Remembrance

On this solemn day, we join the NASA family and all Americans in honoring the brave men and women who gave their lives in the pursuit of space exploration.

It is important to remember that pushing the boundaries of space requires great courage and has come with a steep price three times in our Nation’s history – for the crews of Apollo 1 and the space shuttles Challenger and Columbia. The loss of these pioneers is felt every day by their family, friends, and colleagues, but we take comfort in the knowledge that their spirit will continue to inspire us to new heights.

Today, our Nation is pursuing an ambitious path that honors these heroes, builds on their sacrifices, and promises to expand the limits of innovation as we venture farther into space than we have ever gone before. The men and women who lost their lives in the name of space exploration helped get us to this day, and it is our duty to honor them the way they would have wanted to be honored – by focusing our sights on the next horizon.

posted 01-26-2012 05:53 PM               

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, space agency personnel, and others participated in a wreath laying ceremony as part of NASA's Day of Remembrance on Jan. 26 at Arlington National Cemetery.

Wreathes were laid in memory of those men and women who lost their lives in the quest for space exploration.

Photos credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

posted 01-27-2012 06:56 PM               

T-38 Flyover for Day of Remembrance

NASA pilots perform the "Missing Man" formation during a T-38 flyover to commemorate the men and women lost in pursuit of space exploration.

posted 01-30-2012 05:50 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by perineau:
I propose that the original crew of Gemini 9 be included in this ceremony...

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Seconded. I'd also honor Ted Freeman and C. C. Williams. All four men lost their lives "in the line of duty," so to speak.