posted 01-04-2017 09:48 PM               

NASA's Day of Remembrance

Jan 26, 2017; 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Space Mirror Memorial

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

A presentation with guest speakers begins at 10 am in Astronaut Memorial Foundation's Center for Space Education, located inside the visitor complex. The formal program includes speakers, videos and montages of fallen astronauts who are honored on this day. The focus for this year’s ceremony is the Apollo 1 tragedy that happened 50 years ago this month. After the presentation, a memorial wreath will be placed by family members of Apollo 1 astronauts Virgil Grissom, Roger Chaffee and Edward White at the Space Mirror Memorial. Flowers will be distributed to all visitors so that they may also honor the fallen astronauts at the Space Mirror Memorial.

posted 01-19-2017 03:43 PM               

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex to Host Annual NASA Day of Remembrance

Ceremony and Wreath Laying to Commemorate 50th Anniversary of Apollo 1 Tragedy as well as all Fallen Astronauts

The Astronauts Memorial Foundation's annual NASA Day of Remembrance will this year commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 1 tragedy, and will be held on January 26, 2017 at 10 a.m. at the Astronauts Memorial Foundation hall, located in the Center for Space Education Building at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The ceremony will also honor the crews of the Challenger and Colombia missions as well as all astronauts who have sacrificed their lives furthering the cause of space exploration and discovery.

A wreath laying ceremony will follow the commemoration onsite, at the Space Mirror Memorial; attendees will be provided with flowers so they can also take part in paying respects to the departed heroes.

"The Day of Remembrance ceremony recognizes all of the astronauts who so bravely sacrificed their lives in the name of space," said Thad Altman, president and chief executive officer of the Astronauts Memorial Foundation. "This year, the ceremony will take on additional meaning, as we mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 1 tragedy."

Tragedy struck the Apollo program on January 27, 1967, when a flash fire occurred in the command module during a launch pad test of the Apollo/Scharlaturn space vehicle. Three astronauts, Lt. Col. Virgil I. Grissom, a veteran of the Mercury and Gemini missions; Lt. Col. Edward H. White, the astronaut who performed the United States' extravehicular activity during the Gemini program; and Robert B. Chaffee, an astronaut preparing for his first space flight, lost their lives in the accident. The AS-204 mission, which was to be the vehicle's first piloted flight, was re-designated Apollo 1 in honor of the crew.

Speakers at the ceremony will include Thad Altman, president and chief executive officer of the Astronauts Memorial Foundation; former Apollo astronaut and retired U.S. Airforce Maj. Gen. Michael Collins; Sheryl Chaffee, daughter of fallen Apollo 1 astronaut Roger Chaffee; John Tribe, Apollo launch team member; Robert Lightfoot, acting administrator, NASA Headquarters and Retired U.S. Marine Corps. Col. and Director of NASA Kennedy Space Center Robert Cabana, who also is a former astronaut. An invocation will be led by retired U.S. Airforce Brig. Gen. Charlie Duke and the DeLaura Middle School Vocal Ensemble will perform the national anthem. Viera High School JROTC will present the colors. The reading of the names of all fallen astronauts will be led by Gen. Charlie Duke, who also is a former astronaut, having served as Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 16. The ceremony will be broadcast live on NASA TV.

The 2017 Day of Remembrance also will memorialize the crew of the Challenger. On January 28, 1986, at 73 seconds after liftoff, an explosion claimed the lives of the Challenger crew and the vehicle. The cause was determined to be an O-ring failure in the right solid rocket booster. The crew of space shuttle Columbia will also be remembered during the ceremony. NASA and the world lost seven brave explorers on February 1, 2003, when the space shuttle Columbia broke apart during reentry over portions of the state of Texas.

The public is invited to attend the Day of Remembrance.

posted 01-20-2017 01:32 PM               

Museum Remembers Fallen Astronauts

Special exhibits and lecture about the Apollo and shuttle astronauts who died in the service of the space program

From Jan. 27 to Feb. 5, the museum pays tribute to the astronauts who were lost in the quest to explore outer space. The astronauts of Apollo 1 and of shuttle missions STS-51L Challenger and STS-107 Columbia are remembered in special exhibits and videos each day.

On Jan. 28 at 2 p.m. there will be a program about the Apollo and space shuttle disasters, presented by NASA JPL Solar System Ambassadors Ron Hobbs and Tony Gondola.

posted 01-26-2017 04:45 PM               

Apollo 1 crew, fallen astronauts recalled at NASA remembrance ceremony

Three astronauts who died 50 years ago this week were remembered at a public ceremony in Florida on Thursday (Jan. 26), not far from the launch pad where a fire claimed their lives.

The Apollo 1 crew members, Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee, were honored at the Astronauts Memorial Foundation's NASA Day of Remembrance at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

The annual event also paid tribute to the 14 space shuttle crew members and seven other U.S. astronauts who made the ultimate sacrifice while in the pursuit of exploration and whose names are engraved on the Space Mirror Memorial, a national monument to the fallen space explorers.

posted 01-27-2017 06:08 PM               

JL and I drew on RSI's photo archives as well as NASA images to create this tribute. Our goal was to recall the Apollo 1 crewmen in an inspiring, upbeat tribute in the months before their deaths rather than focus on the tragedy. We hope our fellow cS'ers will enjoy it as well.