Remembering The Brightest Lessons From NASA's Darkest Days
NASA's three worst tragedies all happened this week--46, 27 and 10 years ago. The days between January 27 and February 1 are the most difficult week of the year for NASA. The annual space program shiva, honoring the three disasters that claimed 17 astronauts' lives, is always fraught with emotion and regret. But it's also a time to think about what those astronauts were doing and why, and that means it's also a time to be proud, and to remember what we have learned since their loss. Today is the 27th anniversary of the loss of the space shuttle Challenger, which broke apart because of a failed seal on its right solid rocket booster. Yesterday was the 46th anniversary of the Apollo 1 fire, which happened during a launch pad test. And Friday is the 10th anniversary of the loss of space shuttle Columbia, which suffered a fatal injury on the launch...