NASA Day of Remembrance ~ January 23, 2025

Each year on the 4th Thursday in January, NASA remembers the crew who perished in the Apollo 1 fire (1967), and the space shuttle crews who died, Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003.

This is the Space Mirror Memorial at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida from one of our earlier visits.

The names of the Apollo 1 astronauts.

Grissom and Chaffee are buried in Arlington National Cemetery (White is at Westpoint) and we paid our respects at their graves last year.

More on Roger B. Chaffee here.

More on Gus Grissom here. 

We also found the memorials/graves of the shuttle crews in Arlington.

The Challenger

Their names on the Kennedy Space Center Space Mirror Memorial:

The Columbia

Their names on the Space Mirror Memorial:

The Space Mirror is part of the larger Astronauts Memorial where these can be found.

We found a small memorial to these astronauts, who died so tragically, at the Armstrong Air & Space Museum in Wapakoneta, Ohio.

More on Armstrong here.

Rest in peace and ad astra per aspera 💔

  

Del Shannon and Michigan ~ December 30, 1934 - February 8, 1990

Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Charles Westover grew up in this house in Coopersville, Michigan.

His music is his legacy, and sadly he ended his own life in 1990 while living in California. His ashes may be scattered but the music world still remembers him and his music.

Del Shannon first performed "Runaway" in the Hi-Lo club that was located on this spot in Battle Creek.

The historical museum in Coopersville has a small collection of Del Shannon memorabilia.

I had hoped for more but still appreciated this museum with an alcove devoted to Del.

Coopersville remembers its favorite son with a huge car show every year. He probably would have liked that.