1986 Challenger Disaster -- Michoud Assembly Facility, New Orleans LA
N 30° 01.434 W 089° 55.224
16R E 218340 N 3325027
A subtle yet powerful memorial to the men and women who lost their lives in the Challenger disaster of 1986 at the Lockheed Martin 1986 Michoud Assembly Facility
Waymark Code: WMNCM1
Location: Louisiana, United States
Date Posted: 02/14/2015
Views: 7
Outside of the Michoud Assembly Facility, near the large static display of the rockets, stands a somber and elegant Memorial to the men and women who lost their lives in the 1986 Challenger disaster.
The memorial is a modernistic metal design evoking the rush of a space craft as it ascends into orbit, with seven stars engraved on it, one for each member of the STS-51L crew:
Mission Commander Francis R. "Dick" Scobee
Shuttle Pilot Michael J. Smith
Mission Specialist Judith A. Resnik
Mission Specialist Ronald E. McNair and
Mission Specialist Ellison S. Onizuka
Payload Specialist Gregory B. Jarvis and
Payload Specialist Christa McAuliffe, the "Teacher-In-Space"
A plaque on the base of the memorial reads as follows:
"Dedicated to the brave Challenger crew who made the ultimate sacrifice in the quest to explore the universe and discover its truths for all mankind
January 28, 1986"
I (Mama Blaster) was an undergraduate at the University of Texas, walking through the very noisy Texas Union on 28 Jan 1986. The live launch of the Challenger was on the big screens in the Cactus Bar, and we stopped to watch it. I remember the feeling of mild curiosity watching the Challenger ascend, then to abrupt shock and sickening horror as it exploded on live television. People screamed and started crying -- we were all in shock. I knew several students whose parents worked for NASA, and whose fathers were astronauts. That was a truly terrible day.
For more on the Challenger disaster, and how this dark day changed the space program forever, see here: (
visit link)