The heat shield of NASA's space shuttle Challenger was found by a TV documentary crew who were looking for the wreck of a World War II aircraft off the Florida Space Coast.
The 1986 disaster is a dark chapter in the history of space exploration.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement that the Challenger tragedy will forever be remembered by the country. This discovery gives us an opportunity to pause and reflect on how this tragedy changed us.
What they uncover off the coast of Florida, outside of the Triangle, marks the first discovery of wreckage from the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger in more than 25 years. Don’t miss the premiere of The Bermuda Triangle: Into Cursed Waters on Tuesday, November 22 at 10/9C. pic.twitter.com/LWUoFXxEnK
— HISTORY (@HISTORY) November 10, 2022
It is the first Challenger wreck to have been found in more than 25 years. Divers are looking at small tiles in a large mosaic.
NASA has to make a decision on whether or not to recover the wreck. The public was able to see some of the Challenger pieces for the first time in 2015.
The fateful 1986 launch was NASA's 25th Shuttle mission, but 73 seconds after liftoff, it broke apart, a tragedy watched live by countless people around the world on TV.
Kennedy Space Center Director Janet Petro said that Challenger and her crew live on in the hearts and memories of both NASA and the nation.
She said that the same love of exploration that drove the Challenger crew is still inspiring the astronauts of today's Artemis generation.
The History Channel will show a documentary about the find.
NASA views images confirm the Discovery of Shuttle Challenger artifact.
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