The largest part of the tragic shuttle Challenger was found at the bottom of the ocean

Most of the destroyed space shuttle Challenger was found buried in sand at the bottom of the Atlantic.

more than 35 years after the tragedy that left the schoolteacher and six others dead. This was announced by NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

Michael Ciannilly, NASA manager, confirmedauthenticity of the remainder. He told The Associated Press that when he saw the underwater video, his “heart skipped a beat” and his mind went “straight back to 1986.”

According to Ciannilli, at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.have discovered one of the largest pieces of the Challenger found in the decades since the accident. It is also the first remains of the shuttle to be discovered since two fragments of the left wing washed ashore in 1996.

Divers first noticed this fragment in March.when they were looking for the wreckage of a World War II plane. A few months ago, NASA experts studied the video footage and confirmed that the piece was part of the shuttle. The piece measures 4.5 x 4.5 meters, but scientists believe it could be larger. After all, part of it is hidden by sand.

The Challenger disaster occurred on January 28th.1986, when the space shuttle, at the very beginning of the STS-51L mission, disintegrated as a result of the explosion of the external fuel tank 73 seconds into the flight. This led to the death of all crew members. On board was the first schoolteacher to go into space, Christa McAuliffe.

As a result of the search and rescue operationMany fragments of the shuttle, including the crew cabin, were raised from the bottom of the Atlantic. Although the exact time of the crew's death is unknown, it turned out that three crew members survived the destruction of the shuttle and were conscious - they turned on their personal air supply devices.

The found fragment remains on the ocean flooroff the Florida coast near Cape Canaveral while NASA decides what to do next. It remains the property of the US government. The families of all seven Challenger crew members have been notified.

After the accident, more than 100 tons) of Challenger wreckage were recovered.

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