twenty-foot segment of the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger.Photo: The HISTORY Channel
Underwater explorers were looking for shipwrecks when they found something very unexpected: a 20-foot segment of the1986 Space Shuttle Challenger, the History Channel revealed on Thursday.
The team of explorers was filming the new seriesThe Bermuda Triangle: Into Cursed Watersfor the History Channel when they discovered the wreckage, according to a statement. It’s the first major discovery of wreckage from the shuttle launch in more than twenty-five years.
“The significance of this large section of Challenger’s structure was readily apparent,” underwater explorer Mike Barnette said in a statement to PEOPLE.
Barnette, who led the underwater team that made the discovery, continued: “We recognized the necessity of bringing this find to the immediate attention of NASA. The site, which is outside of the Bermuda Triangle off the Florida coast, marks theloss of seven brave astronauts––fellow explorers –– and the Challenger disaster was a tragic setback for America’s space program.”
NASA confirmed the authenticity of the remnant in a statement released on Thursday. “While ithas been nearly 37 yearssince seven daring andbrave explorers lost their lives aboard Challenger, this tragedy will forever be seared in the collective memory of our country, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in the statement.
“This discovery gives us an opportunity to pause once again, to uplift the legacies of the seven pioneers we lost, and to reflect on how this tragedy changed us,” Nelson said.
Portrait of Challenger Crew.Getty
NASA didn’t immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for further comment.
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A major malfunction 73 seconds after liftoff resulted in the loss of Challenger and the seven astronauts aboard.
An agency investigation later showed unexpectedly cold temperatures affected the integrity of O-ring seals in the solid rocket booster segment joints, according to NASA.
The launch was scheduled as the agency’s 25th shuttle mission.
source: people.com
