KSC-2011-1209

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Flowers lay at the foot of the Space Mirror Memorial at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida before a Day of Remembrance wreath laying ceremony to honor members of the NASA family who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery. The floral arrangement is dedicated to the Apollo 1 crew members Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Roger B. Chaffee and Edward H. White II. The memorial honors 24 United States astronauts, including the crew members of space shuttles Columbia and Challenger, Apollo 1, and those who died in training and commercial airplane accidents. The memorial is a project of the Astronauts Memorial Foundation and was paid for by Florida residents who purchased special Challenger mission automobile license plates. 2011 marks the 25th anniversary of the loss of Challenger, which broke apart over the Atlantic Ocean 73 seconds into flight on Jan. 28, 1986. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett