NASA Honors Its Fallen Heroes, Marks 15th Anniversary of Columbia Accident

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Jan 23, 2018, 02:22 ET

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA will pay will tribute to the crews of Apollo 1 and space shuttles Challenger and Columbia, as well as other NASA colleagues who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery, during the agency's annual Day of Remembrance on Thursday, Jan. 25.

NASA acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot, and other agency senior officials, will lead an observance at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia starting at 10:25 a.m. EST. A wreath-laying ceremony will be held at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, followed by observances for the Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia crews. Media interested in attending the remembrance event must contact Arlington National Cemetery media relations officer Kerry Meeker at [email protected] or 703-614-0024 no later than Wednesday, Jan. 24.

Various NASA centers also will hold observances on and leading up to the Day of Remembrance for the public, employees and the families of those lost in service to America's space program, including Johnson Space Center in Houston and Marshall Space Flight Center, in Huntsville, Alabama.

Kennedy Space Center, Florida
The Astronauts Memorial Foundation will honor the astronauts who gave their lives for space exploration during a ceremony Jan. 25 at the Astronauts Memorial Foundation, located at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

Speakers at the ceremony will include:

Thad Altman, president and chief executive officer of the Astronauts Memorial Foundation
Robert Cabana, Kennedy center director
Eileen Collins, former space shuttle astronaut
Karen Stevenson, daughter of Charles A. Bassett II
Sally Kneuven, daughter of Elliot M. See Jr.
Beth Williams, widow of Clifton C. Williams Jr.
Brent Adams, son of Michael J. Adams
Tal Ramon, son of Ilan Ramon