ONLINE: Keynote Speech by astronaut Mike McCulley for 2024 Astronaut Memorial Ceremony in Titusville

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Location: American Space Museum

Now ONLINE: Video of keynote speech by Shuttle astronaut Mike McCulley on our ASM YouYube Channel.

The annual Astronaut Memorial Ceremony for the 17 crew members of Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia who perished in America’s space program was held on Sunday Jan. 28, 2024 at Sand Point Park in Titusville, FL.

This video contains only the keynote speech by Shuttle astronaut Mike McCulley.* Introduction by Mark Marquette.

The annual remembrance is hosted by the City of Titusville Flag & Memorial Committee and the American Space Museum.

The full ceremony included the keynote address, 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. The Titusville Garden Club provides the flowers for this honorable ceremony. The public was invited to attend this reverent and patriotic ceremony that honors the lives and sacrifice made by these pioneers of NASA’s manned space program. (Note: NASA’s Day of Remembrance was Jan 25th.)

THOSE BEING REMEMBERED and the day they gave their ultimate sacrifice for America 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: Rick D. Husband, William C. “Willie” McCool, David M. Brown, Laurel Clark, Kalpana Chawla, Michael Anderson and Ilan Ramon.

* Mike McCulley spent 5 days in space on Atlantis in 1989, deploying the Galileo spacecraft to Jupiter. He retired from NASA in 1990. McCulley ascended through key leadership positions at prime shuttle contractor United Space Alliance, including president and chief operating officer. He retired in 2007.