Piece of space shuttle Challenger found off Florida
Divers searching for an aircraft from the Second World War near the Bermuda Triangle have found a piece of an entirely different sort of vessel: part of the US Challenger space shuttle that exploded soon after takeoff in 1986. The shuttle burst apart just dozens of seconds after launching from Florida, killing seven crew members. The Challenger segment, preserved remarkably well at the bottom of the Atlantic, is one of the largest pieces ever discovered from the space disaster, Nasa confirmed on Thursday. Images from the discovery, which was made in spring 2022, show two divers surrounded by fish, touching some of the shuttle's sand-covered tiles – small squares that covered the entire underside of the ship to enable it to withstand extreme heat during its return to the atmosphere. One of the two divers, Mike Barnette, said he experienced a real "roller coaster ride of emotions" when he realised what he was touching. "When we found it, there were a lot of mixed emotions," said the marine biologist, who explores ship wrecks as a hobby. "I'm used to diving on shipwrecks that are decades to centuries old, and not a piece of the space program. This is quite unique," he said. "That turned quickly to realising 'Yeah, this is an episode that I lived through. When this happened, I remember exactly where I was, watching this live on TV,'" he said. After the discovery, he showed the images to an astronaut friend who confirmed it was the shuttle. A few months later, the US space agency officially confirmed it. "They were stunned and staggered by how large of a piece it was," Barnette said. The visible part of the shuttle is about 4.5 by 4.5 metres. But the piece extends under the sand and its total size is still unknown. One thing is certain, however: "I can certainly say with confidence, it's one of the largest we've ever found," Mike Ciannilli, a Nasa employee for more than 25 years, said of the segment. Analysis of the piece, he said, will not shed any new light on the accident itself. The cause of the tragedy is well established – severe cold caused damage to crucial rubber seals.  Following the January 28, 1986 accident, extensive search operations were conducted to find pieces of the ship. Ten years later, two new ones emerged on a beach after a storm. These were the last found to date. (AFP)