NASA Pays Tribute to Fallen Heroes with Day of Remembrance

[imstilla.grandma]

The graves of Apollo 1 crew members Virgil Grissom and Roger Chaffee seen during a wreath laying ceremony as part of NASA's 2018 Day of Remembrance at Arlington National Cemetery.Credits: NASA/Bill Ingalls

NASA 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, during the agency's annual Day of Remembrance Thursday, Jan. 27. This year’s NASA Day of Remembrance also marks 55 years since the Apollo 1 tragedy.

“NASA’s Day of Remembrance is an opportunity to honor members of the NASA family who lost their lives in our shared endeavor to advance exploration and discovery for the good of all humanity,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Every day, we have an opportunity to further uplift the legacies of those who gave their lives in pursuit of discovery by taking the next giant leap, meeting every challenge head-on, as they did. In doing so, we also must never forget the lessons learned from each tragedy, and embrace our core value of safety.”
NASA 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, during the agency's annual Day of Remembrance Thursday, Jan. 27. This year’s NASA Day of Remembrance also marks 55 years since the Apollo 1 tragedy.

“NASA’s Day of Remembrance is an opportunity to honor members of the NASA family who lost their lives in our shared endeavor to advance exploration and discovery for the good of all humanity,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Every day, we have an opportunity to further uplift the legacies of those who gave their lives in pursuit of discovery by taking the next giant leap, meeting every challenge head-on, as they did. In doing so, we also must never forget the lessons learned from each tragedy, and embrace our core value of safety.”

Nelson will lead an observance at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, which will begin with a traditional wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, followed by observances for the Apollo 1, Challenger, and Columbia crews.

Shortly after the Arlington event, Nelson will join NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy and Associate Administrator Bob Cabana in moderating a panel discussion with agency employees on the topic of safety and lessons learned from the agency’s tragedies. The panel will air live on NASA Television, the agency’s website, and the NASA app beginning at 3:30 p.m. EST.

Various NASA centers also will hold observances for NASA Day of Remembrance. Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, this year’s events across the agency will be limited to invited guests and closed to media.

Kennedy Space Center, Florida

NASA Kennedy, in partnership with The Astronauts Memorial Foundation, will host a Day of Remembrance ceremony at the Space Mirror Memorial at Kennedy’s Visitor Complex with limited in-person invited guests. The ceremony will feature remarks by Kennedy Center Deputy Director Kelvin Manning, as well as Astronauts Memorial Foundation President and CEO Thad Altman. The ceremony will livestream at 10 a.m. on Kennedy’s Facebook channel.

Johnson Space Center, Houston

NASA Johnson will hold a commemoration at the Astronaut Memorial Grove with limited in-person invited guests. The ceremony will feature remarks by Johnson Center Director Vanessa Wyche, as well as NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik and former Johnson Center Director George Abbey.

Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama

NASA Marshall will observe Day of Remembrance with a prerecorded observance featuring remarks from Marshall Center Director Jody Singer and Bill Hill, director of Marshall’s Office of Safety & Mission Assurance, as well as a moment of silence. The event will appear on Marshall’s YouTube channel and will be shared on the center’s social media account.

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland

NASA Glenn will observe Day of Remembrance with a virtual observance for Glenn staff only.

Images and multimedia from this year’s events will be added to NASA’s online image and video libraryfollowing the events.

The agency also is paying tribute to its fallen astronauts with special online content, which will be updated on Day of Remembrance, at
https://www.nasa.gov/specials/dor2022

 

[imstilla.grandma]

More than 100 people gathered under a gray sky at Kennedy Space Center to remember not only Columbia’s crew of seven, but the 18 other astronauts killed in the line of duty. NASA’s two shuttle accidents account for more than half of the names carved into the black granite of the Space Mirror Memorial; plane crashes are to blame for the rest.

None of the Columbia astronaut family members attended the morning ceremony. But Zvi Konikov, a local rabbi, recalled how Israel’s first astronaut, Ilan Ramon, asked him before the flight how to observe the Sabbath during two weeks in orbit with multiple sunsets a day.

“Ilan taught us a powerful message. No matter how fast we’re going, no matter how important our work, we must pause and think about why we’re here on Earth, and that’s what we’re doing today. We pause to recall the memory of all those courageous souls,” said Konikov.

NASA marks 20 years since space shuttle Columbia disaster

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA marked the 20th anniversary of the space shuttle Columbia tragedy with somber ceremonies and remembrances during its annual tribute to fallen astronauts on Thursday…

www.wivb.com

 

[meanmaryjean]

I grew up in the 60s and remember so vividly the thrill of each launch and landing! Many years later, we were at the NAS Pensacola Naval Flight Museum and happened upon a gathering of the the surviving Gemini astronauts. Col Glenn had just returned from his mission (he was in his 70s) and joked "I asked to do a space walk but they were worried I'd wander off."

Heroes all.