Keith’s note: From NASA: “From left to right, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, and Deputy Chief of Mission for the Embassy of Israel Eliav Benjamin, place wreaths at the Space Shuttle Columbia Memorial during a ceremony that was part of NASA’s Day of Remembrance, Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. The wreaths were laid in memory of those men and women who lost their lives in the quest for space exploration.” Larger image

“The agency will honor members of the NASA family who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery, including the crews of Apollo 1 and space shuttles Challenger and Columbia, leading up to, and during, the agency’s annual Day of Remembrance Thursday, Jan. 26. This year’s NASA Day of Remembrance precedes the 20th anniversary of the Columbia accident on Wednesday, Feb. 1.” More

Keith’s update: NASA just released this statement. After decades of holding an event at Arlington National Cemetery, NASA will not allow the public or media to attend the event at this large, outdoor public location due to COVID concerns. NASA Pays Tribute to Fallen Heroes with Day of Remembrance “Jurczyk will lead an observance at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, which will begin with a traditional wreath-laying ceremony at the […]

Keith’s note: On this date 28 January 1986 the crew on board Space Shuttle Challenger, itself named after a fabled ship of learning and exploration, left Earth on a trip above the sky. And that trip ended in the sky. But their mission continues at challenger.org Ad Astra Challenger STS 51-L Accident

On this day in 1986 I was sitting at my desk as a grad student in the Biology Department at Central Connecticut State University. Everyone knew of my interest in space.

Ancient Memorials for Modern Space Explorers, SpaceRef “A week prior to my departure I got a call from June Scobee Rogers, the widow of Challenger’s commander Dick Scobee. She was thrilled with what we were doing and asked if we’d like to place a few mementos in the inukshuk. She then described what she was sending. A day or so later a package arrived. As I opened it I told […]

Scott Parazynski: Still on Cloud 10 on the summit of Mt. Everest, SpaceRef “I tied off a pair of flags I’d made to honor astronauts and cosmonauts who had perished in the line of duty (Apollo 1, Challenger, Columbia, Soyuz 1 and Soyuz 11), as I could think of no finer place on Earth to hang them. In the coming days, weeks, months and years, like their Tibetan prayer flag […]

My Aunt, Judy Resnik, by Jenna Resnik “You can shape your destiny and create your future, if only you try. Go find your ‘other world’, and remember that if you shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars. The sky’s the limit, people! Lastly, during all of your future endeavors, don’t let what anyone else thinks get in your way, because as Aunt Judy said, […]

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 […]

NASA Has To Fight The Forgetting, NBC “[Space workers] need the consequent inescapable ache of fear and the gnawing of doubt that keeps asking, over and over, if they’ve covered all angles and done all they can. And if their stomachs do not knot up, and mouths go dry, as they confront such decisions perhaps they need new jobs. They do not need comforting myths about “valuable sacrifices” and “space-is-very-very-hard” […]