A Large Piece of the Challenger Space Shuttle Has Been Found on the Ocean Floor

It has been 36 years since the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated shortly after lifting off from Cape Canaveral on January 28, 1986. The disaster resulted in the deaths of all seven astronauts aboard the shuttle, including Christa McAuliffe, a school teacher selected for the mission through NASA’s Teacher in Space project. Now, a significant piece of Challenger has been found on the floor of the Atlantic ocean off the Florida coast.

NASA’s Kennedy Space Center announced the discovery earlier today. The fragment of the shuttle is believed to be from the underside of the fuselage’s exterior, identified by its visible square thermal tiles. The newly-discovered section is estimated to be at least 15 feet by 15 feet. Divers for a Bermuda Triangle TV documentary discovered the piece back in March while looking for the wreckage of a World War II plane.

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