Artifacts from 1986 Challenger disaster up for auction
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Artifacts from the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster are up for auction, including remains of the spacecraft that were given to the family of mission commander Dick Scobee following the tragic accident.
In addition to the pieces of the craft, also up for auction are three Robbins medals that commemorated the tragic mission and were presented to the family after the tragedy.
"The original medals were destroyed during the explosion, so NASA struck new medals to honor the mission," auction house Nate D. Sanders said in a statement.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pieces of the Challenger Space Shuttle, Given to the Family of STS-51-L Commander Dick Scobee (Credit: Nate D. Sanders Auction House)
APOLLO 11: ORIGINAL MOON LANDING RECORDINGS BOUGHT FOR $217 IN 1976 SOLD AT AUCTION FOR $1.82M
Two of the Robbins medals have a minimum bid of $6,000 and the other has a minimum bid of $5,000, respectively.
Also included in the auction are several family photos, a letter that Scobee penned to his parents three months prior to the accident and several prototype models that Scobee owned, including one of the Challenger. The auction house explained that the memorabilia is being consigned by Dick's brother, James.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}(Credit: Nate D. Sanders Auction House)
A complete list of the items up for auction can be found here.
On Jan. 28, 1986, the NASA Space Shuttle orbiter undertaking mission STS-51-L and the Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, killing all seven crew members, including Scobee, four NASA astronauts, one payload specialist and civilian school teacher, Christa McAuliffe.