NASA’s Day of Remembrance: Honoring Fallen Heroes

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson (far left), NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy (left), and Deputy Chief of Mission for the Embassy of Israel Eliav Benjamin (right) stand on opposite sides of the Space Shuttle Columbia Memorial at Arlington National Cemetary. They are all dressed in dark clothing and look at the memorial. The memorial is a rectangular dark gray stone with a large bronze plaque on it; it has a large pink flower wreath draped on it. White headstones line the background. In the left foreground, NASA employees look on.

From left to right, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, and Deputy Chief of Mission for the Embassy of Israel Eliav Benjamin, place wreaths at the Space Shuttle Columbia Memorial during a ceremony that was part of NASA’s Day of Remembrance, Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. The wreaths were laid in memory of those men and women who lost their lives in the quest for space exploration.

NASA/Keegan Barber

In honor of the members of the NASA family who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery for the benefit all, the agency hosted its annual Day of Remembrance Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. Traditionally held on the fourth Thursday in January each year, NASA Day of Remembrance commemorates the crews of Apollo 1 and space shuttles Challenger and Columbia.

“Our annual Day of Remembrance honors the sacrifice of the NASA family who lost their lives in the pursuit of discovery,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “While it is a solemn day, we are forever thankful that our fallen heroes shared their spirt of exploration with NASA, our country, and the world. Today, and every day, we embrace NASA’s core value of safety as we expand our reach in the cosmos for the benefit of all humanity.”

Learn more about the Day of Remembrance.

Image Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber

First published at NASA.gov

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