Thursday 10 November 2022 10:08 PM Piece of NASA's Challenger shuttle is FOUND by divers in the Atlantic Ocean trends now

A piece of NASA’s fallen Challenger has been discovered in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida nearly 37 years after the craft exploded 73 seconds into flight and killing all seven astronauts aboard.

It was found by a History Channel documentary diving crew who shared footage with the American space agency because the ‘large humanmade object’ was in ‘proximity to the Florida Space Coast.’

NASA confirmed it is a segment of the heat shield that was in the nose cone of the Challenger, marking ‘the first discovery of wreckage’ from 1986 craft in more than 25 years,' History Channel proudly announced on Twitter Thursday.

The Challenger was a loss experienced by millions worldwide on January 28, as seven astronauts took off in the craft that near immediately malfunctioned and disintegrated 46,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean.

The diving crew, which was initially searching for remains of a World War II-era aircraft, was shooting a segment for History Channel’s upcoming documentary ‘The Bermuda Triangle: Into Cursed Waters,’ set to air on November 22, when they noticed a modern piece of construction buried in the sand.

The item was made of eight-inch squares, which NASA confirmed to be thermal protection titles of the heat shield.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement: ‘While it has been nearly 37 years since seven daring and brave explorers lost their lives aboard Challenger, this tragedy will forever be seared in the collective memory of our country. For millions around the globe, myself included, January 28, 1986, still feels like yesterday.

‘This discovery gives us an opportunity to pause once again, to uplift the legacies of the seven pioneers we lost, and to reflect on how this tragedy changed us. At NASA, the core value of safety is – and must forever remain – our top priority, especially as our missions explore more of the cosmos than ever before.’