Gregory Jarvis - Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster

Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster

Jarvis was Payload Specialist 2 on STS-51-L which was launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 11:38:00 EST on January 28, 1986. The crew on board the Orbiter Challenger included the spacecraft commander, Dick Scobee, pilot Michael J. Smith (USN), mission specialists Dr. Ronald McNair, Lieutenant Colonel Ellison Onizuka (USAF), Dr. Judith Resnik, and fellow civilian payload specialist, Christa McAuliffe. The entire STS-51-L crew died on January 28, 1986, when Challenger exploded during launch.

The remains of all seven astronauts from the Challenger disaster were discovered in the crew decks on the ocean floor. Gregory Jarvis' remains were discovered in the lower mid-deck along with fellow astronaut Ronald McNair and school teacher Christa McAuliffe. During salvage operations to raise the crew deck from the ocean floor, Jarvis' body escaped from the wreckage, floated to the surface, and disappeared back into the sea. On April 15, 1986, on the last scheduled attempt to recover wreckage, Jarvis' body was rediscovered and returned to shore.