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Ephemeris: 05/25/2026 – Remembering the fallen astronauts also

May 25, 2026 Leave a comment Go to comments

This is Ephemeris for Memorial Day, Monday, May 25th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 10 minutes, setting at 9:15, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:04. The Moon, 2 days past first quarter, will set at 3:30 tomorrow morning.

Today we pause to remember those who gave their lives for our country. For purposes of this program that includes those courageous enough to sit on top of or beside a million pounds of explosives to be launched into space. From the three astronauts who died in the Apollo one file in 1967, the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986, to the disintegration of the Columbia in 2003, 17 Americans and other nationals have died in NASA space accidents. The Russians too have lost cosmonauts in the exploration of space. Brothers and sisters in the quest for knowledge and to expand the horizons of human habitation.  Per aspera, ad astra, Through difficulties to the stars

The astronomical event times given in this blog are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (Lat 44.7° N, Long 85.7° W; EDT, UT – 4 hours) unless stated otherwise. Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

Apollo 1 crew: Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee
The Apollo 1 crew: Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee. They perished in a capsule fire during a ground test January 27, 1967. Credit: NASA.
Space shuttle STS-51L Crew- Ellison S. Onizuka, Christa McAuliffe, Gregory B. Jarvis, Judith A. Resnik, Michael J. Smith, Francis R. Scobee, and Ronald E. McNair
STS-51L Crew Back Row: Mission Specialist Ellison S. Onizuka, Payload Specialists Christa McAuliffe and Gregory B. Jarvis, Mission Specialist Judith A. Resnik, Front Row: Pilot Michael J. Smith, Commander Francis R. Scobee, Mission Specialist Ronald E. McNair. They died during liftoff on Januaty 28, 1986. Credit: NASA.
The crew of the final ill-fated flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia, mission STS-107
The crew of the final ill-fated flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia, mission STS-107. From left to right are mission specialist David Brown, commander Rick Husband, mission specialist Laurel Clark, mission specialist Kalpana Chawla, mission specialist Michael Anderson, pilot William McCool, and Israeli payload specialist Ilan Ramon. All were killed when the shuttle disintegrated over Texas on February 1, 2003.

Categories: Ephemeris Program, History, NASA, Space Flight, Space History
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