![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/piece-of-doomed-challenger-space-shuttle-found-37-years-after-nasa-ship-exploded/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/newspress-collage-20394290-1668164690658.jpg&description=A HUGE chunk from Nasa's doomed Challenger mission has been uncovered almost 37 years after it exploded killing everyone onboard. The ill-fated space shuttle tragically blew up dozens of seconds after lift off in 1986, killing seven crew members including teacher Christa McAuliffe. Underwater explorers find an entirely different sort of vessel than they expectedCredit: The History Channel/AFP Segment is about twenty-footCredit: The History Channel/AFP Divers were actually looking for a World War II-era aircraft near the Bermuda Triangle. But instead they stumbled across one of the largest pieces ever discovered from the space disaster. Video footage from the History Channel shows a massive well-preserved piece of the wreckage fitted with thermal tiles. This was part of the ship's underside, designed to resist extreme heat when returning back to Earth. "When we found it, (there were) a lot of mixed emotions," marine biologist Mike Barnette told AFP. "I'm used to diving on shipwrecks that are decades to centuries old, and not a piece of the space program. This is quite unique. "That turned quickly to realising 'Yeah, this is an episode that I lived through. When this happened, I remember exactly where I was, watching this live on TV.'" The full size is unknown as some of the fragment is buried in the sand. But the visible part is about 4.5 by 4.5 meters. Nasa has confirmed it is an artefact from Challenger and officials are now considering what to do with it to honour the seven who perished. "This discovery gives us an opportunity to pause once again, to uplift the legacies of the seven pioneers we lost, and to reflect on how this tragedy changed us," said Nasa Administrator Bill Nelson. It's not believed analysis will shed any new light on what caused the tragedy, which has long been put down to crucial rubber seals being damaged by severe cold. Challenger broke apart just 73 seconds into its flight at 11.39am local time on January 28, 1986. A few seconds into the mi){kind=link}
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A HUGE chunk from Nasa’s doomed Challenger mission has been uncovered almost 37 years after it exploded killing everyone onboard.
The ill-fated space shuttle tragically blew up dozens of seconds after lift off in 1986, killing seven crew members including teacher Christa McAuliffe.
Divers were actually looking for a World War II-era aircraft near the Bermuda Triangle.
But instead they stumbled across one of the largest pieces ever discovered from the space disaster.