NASA to Pay Tribute to Fallen Heroes with Day of Remembrance

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA will honor members of the NASA family who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery, including the crews of Apollo 1 and space shuttles Challenger and Columbia, during the agency's annual Day of Remembrance Thursday, Jan. 30.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, along with other senior agency officials, will lead an observance at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia beginning at 1 p.m. EST. A wreath-laying ceremony will take place 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 Public Affairs at 703-614-0024 no later than noon Wednesday, Jan. 29.

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.

Kennedy Space Center, Florida
NASA's Kennedy Space Center, in partnership with The Astronauts Memorial Foundation and Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, will host Day of Remembrance observance activities, including a wreath-laying ceremony at 10 a.m. at the Astronauts Memorial Foundation Space Mirror Memorial in the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Thad Altman, president and chief executive officer of the Astronauts Memorial Foundation, and Kelvin Manning, Kennedy associate director, technical, will speak at the ceremony. This ceremony is open to the public. Media interested in attending should contact: Rebecca Shireman at [email protected] or 321-449-4273.

Johnson Space Center, Houston
NASA's Johnson Space Center will hold a commemoration for employees at the Astronaut Memorial Grove to honor Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia crews.

Stennis Space Center, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
NASA's Stennis Space Center will host a Day of Remembrance ceremony memorializing crew members of the Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia missions, as well as members of the Stennis Space Center family lost in the past year. It will feature the laying of a ceremonial wreath in memory of those who have sacrificed in support of the nation's space program.

Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center will observe Day of Remembrance with a candle-lighting ceremony for employees at 9 a.m. CST. Marshall Associate Director Steve Miley and former astronaut Jan Davis will offer remarks. Media interested in attending should contact Janet Sudnik at 256-544-0034 or [email protected] no later than 4 p.m. CST, Wednesday, Jan. 29.

Video and still images of various agency observances will be available at:

https://www.nasa.gov/mediaresources  

The agency also is paying tribute to its fallen astronauts with special online content available Wednesday, Jan. 29, at:

https://www.nasa.gov/dor2020 

Images and multimedia from this year's events will be added following the events.

SOURCE NASA