The NASA community took time Jan. 29 to honor men and women lost in the course of exploration.
At the agency's launch site, Kennedy Space Center in Florida, center director and former astronaut
Bob Cabana marked NASA's Day of Remembrance during a wreath-laying ceremony
at the Astronaut Memorial located at the center's visitor complex.
President John F. Kennedy characterized this as the most hazardous, dangerous and greatest
adventure on which man has ever embarked. But it's not an adventure without risk.
The explorers throughout history have put themselves at risk for the never-ending quest for knowledge
that drives us all. We are well aware of the risks, but that doesn't stop us from pressing on.
NASA's Day of Remembrance commemorates sacrifices made by explorers,
including three astronauts killed during the Apollo 1 fire in 1967,
seven who perished in the Challenger launch in 1986
and seven lost in break-up of Columbia during re-entry in 2003.
Each accident became a turning point for NASA. Officials note that the agency might not have made
some of its strongest gains without the lessons of the lost flights.
This is an exciting time and we honor those who have gone before us by continuing our quest
for knowledge in this greatest adventure of all time.
As NASA looks forward to its future plans in space, the agency also wants to remember the people
whose fateful sacrifice made it possible.