Tag: STS-51L

Astronaut Dick Scobee: Skilled Pilot, Humble American Hero

Astronaut Dick Scobee: Skilled Pilot, Humble American Hero

Space Shuttle mission STS-51-L was to be the 25th mission of the program. What made it special was to be lessons taught from space by a school teacher. On Jan. 28, 1986, 73 seconds after liftoff of the Space Shuttle Challenger, the crew and vehicle were lost. The commander for the flight was veteran astronaut Dick Scobee, an experienced test pilot who exhibited humility and admiration for his colleagues.

First Israeli Astronaut Recalled as ‘Humble, Gifted Pilot’

First Israeli Astronaut Recalled as ‘Humble, Gifted Pilot’

On Jan. 26, 2023, NASA paused agency wide to honor astronauts who perished in efforts to explore and utilize the space frontier. This year’s Day of Remembrance ceremonies focused on the STS-107 crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia who lost their lives when their orbiter broke apart during re-entry on Feb. 1, 2003. The seven astronauts included Ilan Ramon, the first citizen from Israel to fly in space.