A Piece of the Space Shuttle Challenger Found Off the Coast of Florida 36 Years After Fatal Explosion
The HISTORY Channel twenty-foot segment of the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger
Underwater explorers were looking for shipwrecks when they found something very unexpected: a 20-foot segment of the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger, the History Channel revealed on Thursday.
The team of explorers was filming the new series The Bermuda Triangle: Into Cursed Waters for the History Channel when they discovered the wreckage, according to a statement. It's the first major discovery of wreckage from the shuttle launch in more than twenty-five years.
"The significance of this large section of Challenger's structure was readily apparent," underwater explorer Mike Barnette said in a statement to PEOPLE.
What they uncover off the coast of Florida, outside of the Triangle, marks the first discovery of wreckage from the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger in more than 25 years. Don’t miss the premiere of The Bermuda Triangle: Into Cursed Waters on Tuesday, November 22 at 10/9C. pic.twitter.com/LWUoFXxEnK
— HISTORY (@HISTORY) November 10, 2022
Barnette, who led the underwater team that made the discovery, continued: "We recognized the necessity of bringing this find to the immediate attention of NASA. The site, which is outside of the Bermuda Triangle off the Florida coast, marks the loss of seven brave astronauts ––fellow explorers –– and the Challenger disaster was a tragic setback for America's space program."
NASA confirmed the authenticity of the remnant in a statement released on Thursday. "While it has been nearly 37 years since seven daring and brave explorers lost their lives aboard Challenger, this tragedy will forever be seared in the collective memory of our country, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in the statement.
"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," Nelson said.
Getty Portrait of Challenger Crew
NASA didn't immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for further comment.
The last Challenger mission was led by Francis R. "Dick" Scobee and piloted by Michael J. Smith. They were joined by five other astronauts: Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, Gregory Jarvis and Christa McAuliffe, the first civilian in space.
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A major malfunction 73 seconds after liftoff resulted in the loss of Challenger and the seven astronauts aboard.
An agency investigation later showed unexpectedly cold temperatures affected the integrity of O-ring seals in the solid rocket booster segment joints, according to NASA.
The launch was scheduled as the agency's 25th shuttle mission.
