<mediadc-video-embed data-state="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"00000161-3486-d333-a9e9-76c6fbf30000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b93390000"},"cms.content.publishDate":1668161210364,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"00000183-c23a-d5ff-a7af-deffcaaf0000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"cms.content.updateDate":1668161210364,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"00000183-c23a-d5ff-a7af-deffcaaf0000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"rawHtml":"
var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_68161186", "obj": {"id":"27789","width":"16","height":"9","video":"1180433"} }); ","_id":"00000184-6627-d791-abd4-7e7fc0fb0000","_type":"2f5a8339-a89a-3738-9cd2-3ddf0c8da574"}”>Video EmbedDebris discovered on the ocean floor by a History Channel crew has been confirmed to be wreckage from the Space Shuttle Challenger.
According to a release from A+E Networks, a 20-foot segment of Challenger, which broke apart not long after liftoff in 1986, was found in the waters off the coast of Florida. The discovery was made while crews were filming a new series that aims to document and share the stories of wreck sites around the Bermuda Triangle.
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The discovery of the Challenger debris marks the first major discovery of wreckage related to the shuttle launch in more than 25 years, the release said.
“The significance of this large section of Challenger’s structure was readily apparent,” said underwater explorer Mike Barnette, who led the team that made the discovery. “We recognized the necessity of bringing this find to the immediate attention of NASA.”
The discovery was initially made in March 2022 while crews were looking for wreckage related to a World War II rescue plane that had disappeared on Dec. 5, 1945. Following a second dive and a consultation with an outside expert, the crew brought their discovery to the attention of NASA.
Mike Ciannilli, with NASA’s office of safety and mission assurance, confirmed the wreckage was from Challenger.
It’s one of the biggest pieces of Challenger found since the accident, Ciannilli told the Associated Press, and the first remnant to be discovered since two fragments from the left wing washed ashore in 1996.
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About 118 tons of debris related to Challenger have been recovered since the accident and are buried in abandoned missiles silos at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, with the exception of a left side shuttle panel on display at the Kennedy Space Center’s visitor complex, according to the Associated Press.
The Space Shuttle Challenger was launched on Jan. 28, 1986, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and broke apart shortly after liftoff. All seven crew members were killed, including Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher to travel to space. The disaster was caused by an eroded O-ring seal on the right booster.
