Maybe this simple image of a soccer ball floating in zero gravity will take the place of those other images. It must be difficult for family members of the Challenger seven to see the photos and videos of the explosion. This tribute is touching for its simplicity, and is somehow more powerful than other tributes made with fanfare and speeches.
It’s poignant that the soccer ball got a second chance to make it into space, when the Challenger seven never will. The resulting fiery explosion left no doubt about the fate of the people onboard the shuttle. An O-ring failed in the cold temperature, and pressurized burning gas escaped and eventually caused the failure of the external fuel tank. The causes of the Challenger accident are well-known. NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, who took the soccer ball into space. That’s when Principal Engle had the idea to send the soccer ball with Kimbrough on his mission to the International Space Station. His name is Shane Kimbrough, and he offered to carry a memento from the high school into space. Eventually, the Principal of the high school, Karen Engle, learned about the significance of the soccer ball’s history.īecause of Clear Lake High School’s close proximity to the Johnson Space Center, another astronaut now has a son attending the same school. The soccer ball was returned to the high school, where it was on display for the past three decades, with its meaning fading into obscurity with each passing year. The ball was given to him by his daughter and other soccer players at a local high school. Almost unbelievably, the soccer ball was recovered among the wreckage after the crash.Įllison Onizuka, one of the seven who perished in the Challenger accident, carried a soccer ball into space. His daughter and other soccer players from Clear Lake High School, near NASA’s Johnson Space Center, gave Ellison a soccer ball to take into space with him. And this new tribute is all centred around a soccer ball.Įllison Onizuka was one of the Challenger seven who perished on January 28, 1986, when the shuttle exploded 73 seconds into its flight.
But a new tribute is remarkable for its simplicity. There’ve been fitting tributes over the years, with people paying homage to the crew members who lost their lives.
June ellison nasa headquarters professional#
Professional astronauts may have been prepared to accept their fate, but that doesn’t make it any less tragic. The launch and resulting explosion were broadcast live. The Challenger disaster is one of those things that’s etched into people’s memories.
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