The annual Astronaut Memorial Ceremony for the 17 crew members of Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia who perished in America’s space program will be conducted Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020 at 11 am, at Sand Point Park in Titusville, Florida. (Map & contacts are below.)

The public is invited to attend this reverent and patriotic ceremony that honors the lives and sacrifice made by these pioneers NASA’s manned space program. Keynote speaker will be Mike Leinbach, former NASA launch director. Mr. Leinbach launched the last 37 Space Shuttles and co-authored the book “Bringing Columbia Home,” the account of the mammoth undertaking by thousands to find Columbia’s debris in South Texas and Louisiana and bring it home to Kennedy Space Center.

The ceremony includes patriotic songs, a host of city and county dignitaries, participation from the Knights of Columbus, the Civil Air Patrol, a 21-gun salute and placement of flowers on the 17 plaques at the park honoring the fallen space travelers. High school students will place an apple on the plaque commemorating Teacher-in-Space Christa McAuliffe.

The beautiful program is hosted by the City of Titusville Flag & Memorial Committee and the American Space Museum. The Titusville Garden Club provides the flowers for this honorable ceremony.

Those being remembered are…

Apollo 1, Jan. 27, 1967: Commander Virgil “Gus” Grissom a Mercury and Gemini veteran, Ed White, the first American to walk in space, and Roger Chaffee;

Challenger STS-51L, Jan. 28, 1986: Commander Dick Scobee, Pilot Mike Smith, Mission specialists Judy Resnick, Ellison Onizuka, Greg Jarvis, Ron McNair and first true civilian and teacher in space Christa McAuliffe;

Columbia STS-107, Feb. 1, 2003: Commander Rick Husband, Pilot Williof Israel.

Informal Reception After Ceremony

After the ceremony, an informal reception will held at the American Space Museum, 308 Pine Street on southbound US 1, in downtown Titusville. (Museum admission will be free on this memorial Saturday.)