NASA pays tribute to fallen heroes on Day of Remembrance

(CNN) – On Thursday, NASA is paying tribute to those who lost their lives in the pursuit of space exploration.

Jan. 28 is NASA’s Day of Remembrance, when the entire agency commemorates space missions that ended in tragedy.

They honor the crews of Apollo 1, the space shuttle Columbia and the space shuttle Challenger.

Thursday also marks 35 years since the Challenger explosion. In 1986, the shuttle broke apart 73 seconds into the flight.

Seven crew members were killed, including Christa McAuliffe, who would have been the first teacher in space.

NASA Remembers Fallen Heroes
35 years ago today, the space shuttle Challenger and all seven crew members aboard were lost. On this Day of Remembrance, we honor the Challenger crew and all who gave their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery: youtu.be/CnqCWo46fzM #NASARemembers
Posted by NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration on Thursday, January 28, 2021