US honors Challenger astronauts and reiterates goal of going to Mars. (BOB PEARSON / AFP / Getty Images)
The US space agency NASA on Thursday commemorated the 30th anniversary of the tragedy of the space shuttle Challenge r with a promise to keep the memory alive of the dead astronauts, at which reiterated the purpose of going to Mars.
The tribute includes presentation of wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in memory of the seven astronauts who died in the Challenger on January 28, 1986, as well as other space claims.
“Space exploration is one of the most difficult efforts we undertake and from the Apollo 1 to Challenger and Columbia, brave Americans have made the ultimate sacrifice in our quest to expand the boundaries and explore new frontiers, “said President Barack Obama in a statement by the commemoration of Remembrance Day at NASA.
“But despite the dangers, we continue to reach for the stars,” he added.
# NOW (11:38 a.m. ET) in 1986, STS-51L #Challenger launches; destroyed 73 seconds into flight https://t.co/RF8qyZkJhV pic.twitter.com/S9IdBo35UJ
- NASA History Office (NASAhistory) January 28, 2016
“From new partnerships with private industry to develop revolutionary inventions Americans go with them to the solar system and eventually to Mars; continue our journey of discovery, “said President Obama.
Shortly after arriving at the White House in 2009, Obama canceled a NASA program to return to the moon, saying he preferred to channel these resources an exploration of deep space and directed to send a manned mission to Mars in the 2030s mission.
The program of space shuttles was formally completed in 2011 after three decades of carrying astronauts to orbit the Earth. His term left the United States without vehicles for manned space travel.
Since then, the astronauts of the world have had to travel to the International Space Station on Russian Soyuz capsules, while private companies Boeing and SpaceX develop their spacecraft for use from 2017 and NASA focuses on building your ship Orion deep space.
Today, as we all remember who we lost, we mark a somber 30-year anniversary – the loss of space shuttle #Challenger. https://t.co/wQFazzYMS8
- NASA (NASA) January 28, 2016
Seven astronauts, including teacher Christa McAuliffe, who would be the first in lecturing in space, died in the Challenger disaster, the shuttle that exploded 73 seconds after takeoff.
The cause was a leak in one of the rocket boosters, said NASA.
The other big ferries accident happened on February 1, 2003. Seven crew members killed when Columbia disintegrated while re-entering Earth’s atmosphere.
The NASA said after a piece foam that fell off an external tank during launch and caused a hole in a wing of the ferry caused the accident, which occurred 16 minutes before landing.
NASA also honors the three men who died on the launch pad of Apollo 1 in 1927, before the United States reached the moon.
“On this solemn occasion, we pause to remember in our normal routine,” said the head of the NASA, Charles Bolden, who also recalled the loss of Mike Adams, who died in 1967 on a rocket-powered supersonic aircraft and others who perished in “test flights and aeronautics research throughout our history.”
“When we undertake our journey to Mars, they will go with us. They will have our eternal respect, love and gratitude, “he said.
Tributes NASA on Thursday included a ceremony laying wreaths at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and at Arlington National Cemetery , near Washington.
NASA also scheduled ceremonies at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
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