posted 01-22-2016 11:02 AM               

NASA Remembers Its Fallen Heroes, 30th Anniversary of Challenger Accident

NASA will pay will 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 on Thursday, Jan. 28, the 30th anniversary of the Challenger accident. NASA's Day of Remembrance honors members of the NASA family who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Deputy Administrator Dava Newman, and other agency senior officials will hold an observance and wreath-laying at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia starting at 11 a.m. EST. Following the wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington, various NASA centers will hold remembrance events Thursday for employees and the families of those lost in service to America's space program.

At 10 a.m., NASA Television will provide live coverage of a wreath-laying ceremony at the Space Mirror Memorial located at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The observance is hosted by the Astronauts Memorial Foundation, which is a private, not-for-profit organization. It built and maintains the Space Mirror Memorial, which was dedicated in 1991 to honor all astronauts who lost their lives on missions or during training. It has been designated a National Memorial by Congress.

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, will observe the day with a candle-lighting ceremony for center employees, as well as a public event at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Marshall's official visitor center, at 10 a.m. CST. NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, will hold an event for employees that includes placing flowers at the Apollo, Challenger and Columbia Trees at the center.

In partnership with the Challenger Learning Center of Northwest Indiana, NASA's Glenn Research Center will host former astronaut Greg Harbaugh for the opening of the exhibit "Inspiring the Future — The Legacy of Exploration," at the Indiana Welcome Center in Hammond.

The agency also is paying tribute to its fallen astronauts with special online content available beginning Wednesday, Jan. 27.

posted 01-26-2016 11:23 PM               

U.S. Space Walk of Fame and the City of Titusville Flag & Memorial Committee Hosting the Astronaut Memorial Observance January 30

The U.S. Space Walk of Fame Museum and the Titusville Flag & Memorial Committee will be hosting a Memorial Observance at Sand Point Park in Titusville on January 30.

The observance, which pays tribute to the fallen astronauts of Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia, will commence at 11 a.m. and will include commentary from the Mayor of Titusville, Jim Tulley, and a keynote address from astronaut Greg "Box" Johnson (STS-123, STS-134).

A musical performance will be presented by the Sculptor Charter School Choir and flowers will be placed on the plaques dedicated to the astronauts lost in the line of duty. The event is organized by Barbara McGillicuddy of the Flag & Memorial Committee. Tara Dixon Engel, Executive Director of the Space Walk of Fame Museum, will serve as emcee for the memorial observance.

For more information, contact the museum at 321-264-0434.

posted 01-26-2016 11:26 PM               

The home will open for visitors at 5:30 p.m. and the program will begin at approximately 6:15 p.m. Steve Grissom, board president and cousin to the late astronaut, will speak about the house, the proposed Apollo 1 flight, the men of the mission and the fire that took their lives.

Grissom's talk will be timed to end at 6:31 p.m., which is the same time that the fire began. There will be a moment of silence, prayer and a 21-gun honor salute by the American Legion Post No. 250 Honor Guard.

posted 01-28-2016 12:01 PM               

President Barack Obama on NASA's Day of Remembrance

Thirty years ago today, our country was shaken by the loss of Challenger and with it, the lives of astronauts and payload specialists Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis, Judith Resnik, Francis Scobee, Ronald McNair, Michael Smith, and Ellison Onizuka.

For centuries, humankind has looked to the sky to set the stage for a future that redefines our limits and a reality where anything is possible. Reaching for those unbounded heights has been fundamental to developing our national character — helping us find the capacity to lead the human race to the next frontiers of discovery and the wisdom to use that knowledge for the better.

We must never forget the courageous Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice to expand the boundaries of understanding. They knew the risks, and still chose to put their lives on the line so that future generations could lead lives made better by advances in science, technology, and a deeper understanding of our universe and humanity's place therein. As we honor their legacy and that of every hero who lost their life helping America touch the stars, we remember President Reagan's words that fateful January day in 1986: "The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave.

These brave women and men are forever a part of a story that is ongoing. It is a story that will bring human beings to Mars and out into our solar system – and beyond. It is a story made possible by their sacrifice and heroism. May America always carry forward the bravery of those we've lost, and may we harness it to make today's impossibilities tomorrow's realities.