Part of Challenger space shuttle found by divers looking for WWII plane off Florida
Divers searching for World War II wreckage off Florida instead found a part of the Challenger shuttle that exploded on live TV in 1986, according to NASA.
The discovery was announced Nov. 10 after NASA officials reviewed underwater footage recorded by a crew working for the History Channel, NASA said in a news release.
“The artifact was discovered by a TV documentary crew seeking the wreckage of a World War II-era aircraft,” NASA reported.
“Divers noticed a large human-made object covered partially by sand on the seafloor. The proximity to the Florida Space Coast, along with the item’s modern construction and presence of 8-inch square tiles, led the documentary team to contact NASA.”
The object is a 20-foot section of the shuttle, the History Channel reports. Even more may be hidden under sand, The Associated Press reports. “Because there are square thermal tiles on the piece, it’s believed to be from the shuttle’s belly,” AP said.
An exact location and the depth off Cape Canaveral were not revealed.
NASA says it “is considering what additional actions it may take regarding the artifact,” which remains U.S. government property.
“For millions around the globe, myself included, Jan. 28, 1986, still feels like yesterday,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in the release.
“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.”
The last Challenger mission famously included a school teacher, S. Christa McAuliffe, who perished with the rest of the crew when it exploded 73 seconds after takeoff.
An investigation revealed “unexpectedly cold temperatures affected the integrity of O-ring seals in the solid rocket booster segment joints,” NASA said. The damage was caused when a cold front crossed the state, resulting in ice forming on the shuttle, experts say.
The dive team that recorded the footage was working for the History Channel, which intends to feature the discovery in a documentary airing Nov. 22.
“Although the episode will appear as part of a series about the Bermuda Triangle, the artifact was found in waters off Florida’s Space Coast, well northwest of the area popularly known as the Bermuda Triangle,” NASA said.
The History Channel says its dive team set out in March to investigate several suspected wrecks, one of which was believed to be a PBM Martin Mariner Rescue Plane that vanished in 1945 off what is now Cape Canaveral. The plane was searching for five US Navy torpedo bombers “that had also disappeared earlier that day,” the History Channel said in a news release.
“Instead of WWII era plane debris, the team discovered a modern-looking aviation structure,” the channel reports.
“After consulting with an outside expert and completing a second dive in May 2022, the team presented the full evidence to retired American astronaut Bruce Melnick who suspected it was a piece of the Challenger. ... Based on this information, producers brought the discovery to the attention of NASA.”
This story was originally published November 10, 2022 at 2:35 PM with the headline "Part of Challenger space shuttle found by divers looking for WWII plane off Florida."