Challenger, Columbia Wreckage On Public Display For First Time

An anonymous reader writes: A new exhibit at Kennedy Space Center is letting the public see wreckage from the Challenger and Columbia shuttles after keeping it from view for decades. Two pieces of debris from each lost shuttle and personal reminders of the astronauts killed in the flights will be on display. The AP reports: " NASA's intent is to show how the astronauts lived, rather than how they died. As such, there are no pictures in the 'Forever Remembered' exhibit of Challenger breaking apart in the Florida sky nearly 30 years ago or Columbia debris raining down on Texas 12 years ago. Since the tragic re-entry, Columbia's scorched remains have been stashed in off-limits offices at the space center. But NASA had to pry open the underground tomb housing Challenger's pieces — a pair of abandoned missile silos at neighboring Cape Canaveral Air Force Station — to retrieve the section of fuselage now on display."

Comments

Rest in Peace, Brave Souls

[A10Mechanic]

I too like to remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice in the quest for scientific achievement, but I have no desire to go look at the coffin. I'd rather watch a nice Imax movie of a shuttle floating over the horizon.

Re:Rest in Peace, Brave Souls

[MobSwatter]

The original JFK space program was aircraft style access to space and the last building block on that segment never made it any further than the SR-71 in 1964. I know, my grandfather was a short list guy.

Their goal was to achieve 25,000 KMPH, which is escape velocity in the stratosphere. Let me tell you where I get my insight on this:

My grandmother on my mother's side: Senior statistician on the X-15, worlds first variable thrust rocket.

My great uncle Jack (Radar Man) on my father's side: CIA SR, OXCART was compartmentalized within CIA SR, AQM-60 Kingfisher, A-12, U2, YF-12A/B, SR-71, D-21 and more.

My grandfather on my father's side, JFK space program short list, 33rd degree Scottish rite freemason, the one that was lost and why none of the other short list guys would come forward on JFK's space program.

In 1992 I met my great uncle Jack, he lived on Warpath Ln in north woods Wisconsin, throughout my upbringing I had been told only that he was OSS when it became CIA in 1947 and in that year was present on a particularly famous New Mexico gig. While staying at his place as my family was vacationing and had travelled across the country to see other relatives, I was told by my father that my uncle wanted to tell me something. We entered into his office and my father proceeded to tell him that he had told me nothing. My great Uncle stated that "It is okay, they have already retracted DET1", my great uncle then proceeds to tell my father to leave the room. He then stated to me that, "Strategic Reconnaissance was my baby, and it had to be cancelled not because they cut funding, but because of the way they did it and that involved your grandfather. I am %99.9 certain that those people killed Kennedy". From what I understand the JFK shooters were discovered to have met in the Cal-Neva on north shore Tahoe. I was a bit taken back by this as I had just been told my family was involved in building the prototype of my favorite aircraft and when I exited the room my father had been seated and with his fingers in his ears. He took notice to me and then stated that "You have been read in". He later clarified to me that DET1 was detachment 1 based out of Okinawa. During our stay our there we had some small talk about it as he seemingly did not think I had absorbed what he had told me. He stated at another point that the SR-71 was a building block to my grandfather and on another occasion while in his truck coming back from town told me that "he had gotten my grandfather killed", not intentionally but he seemed to carry guilt over it. I asked him "did they steal anything?" and he mentioned the image sensors mentioned a figure in the millions of dollars range and I said "well, there you go". From what I can put together on it my grandfather was on fund raiser for Children's Hospital in Reno, NV and had asked to wire money secretly and was directed to north shore Tahoe. He wired the money and was involved in a fatal plane crash that killed both my grandparents in 1964 and the money sent never made it as the USAF had to purchase the image sensors and this is what was considered to be a breach of a program run in absolute secrecy. All of this happened prior to my being born in 1967 and I was never told anything about it really other than bits and pieces here and there and was raised in south Tahoe and my father never knew what I had confirmed to me by my great uncle as he was sent out of the room. Two years ago I lost my father and noted circumstances very questionable and incidents are related through a setup on a court case and some Sherriff's getting burned over accusations of women being raped in the county jail that were present in the hospital in Reno the day we had to unplug my father from life support after having a stroke. Needless to say the gloves came off, I am back up here in Tahoe and I brought hell with me.

So my insight into it tells me the JFK space program never went any further than what was developed in 1964 because the short list guys for the space program would not come forward and appear to have been building much cooler stuff than what we saw with the space shuttle, Being the US doesn't really have a space program anymore I'd say the way things went was certainly the for the worse.

has it really been nearly thirty years?

[ihtoit]

I remember that day as vividly as if it were yesterday, and how I cried for the Challenger Seven.

Re:has it really been nearly thirty years?

[PopeRatzo]

I remember that day as vividly as if it were yesterday

On Venus, it was only a few weeks ago.

Re:has it really been nearly thirty years?

[dotancohen]

I remember that day as vividly as if it were yesterday, and how I cried for the Challenger Seven.

I was nine years old at the time, and I saw the smoke trail with the two SRB trails distinctively rising from the round BOOM cloud. I had written to NASA only a short time earlier, expressing my interest in becoming an astronaut. I still have the letter that I received back, shortly after the accident.

You know what? I've cried a lot since then. We've had rocket attacks on my city, I've had friends killed on the road, by sniper, and by their own bad habits. I've come close two times that I remember vividly, once while my wife was pregnant with our first. Those fourteen brave men and women who were lost in the name of exploration deserve our respect, but not our tears. They knew what they were doing. They did it anyway. Cry over people who die young for no reason other than "I hate you" or "I'm stupid". Don't cry over the elderly who die, and don't cry over the brave who took their chance. Celebrate them instead.