INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A large section of the destroyed space shuttle Challenger has been found buried in sand at the bottom of the Atlantic, more than three
decades after the tragedy that killed a schoolteacher and six others, AP reported.NASA&s Kennedy Space Center announced the discovery
Thursday.&Of course, the emotions come back, right?& said Michael Ciannilli, a NASA manager who confirmed the remnant&s authenticity
When he saw the underwater video footage
&My heart skipped a beat, I must say, and it brought me right back to 1986 … and what we all went through as a nation.&It&s one of the
biggest pieces of Challenger found in the decades since the accident, according to Ciannilli, and the first remnant to be discovered since
two fragments from the left wing washed ashore in 1996.Divers for a TV documentary first spotted the piece in March while looking for
wreckage of a World War II plane
NASA verified through video a few months ago that the piece was part of the shuttle that broke apart shortly after liftoff on Jan
All seven on board were killed, including the first schoolteacher bound for space, Christa McAuliffe.The piece is more than 4.5 meters by
4.5 meters; it&s likely bigger because part of it is covered with sand
Because there are square thermal tiles on the piece, it&s believed to be from the shuttle&s belly, Ciannilli said.The fragment remains on
the ocean floor just off the Florida coast near Cape Canaveral as NASA determines the next step
It remains the property of the U.S
The families of all seven Challenger crew members have been notified.Roughly 118 tons of Challenger debris have been recovered since the
That represents about 47% of the entire vehicle, including parts of the two solid-fuel boosters and external fuel tank.The post Section of
destroyed shuttle Challenger found on ocean floor first appeared on Ariana News.
