NEW YORK – The Intrepid Museum will host Virtual Astro Live Lost and Found: Flight 19 and the Space Shuttle Challenger on Sunday, October 19, from 3:00pm to 4:30pm EDT. This free, online event invites participants of all ages to dive into the story behind a remarkable find: the first major artifact from the Space Shuttle Challenger recovered in more than 25 years, unearthed during a deep-sea expedition in 2022.
Featured speakers Michael Barnette and Jimmy Gadomski—explorers known for their appearance in the History Channel’s series The Bermuda Triangle: Into Cursed Waters—will recount their search for Flight 19, the legendary five-plane formation lost in 1945, and the rescue plane dispatched to find them. Instead, they made a startling discovery: a 20-foot fragment of the Space Shuttle Challenger, buried on the ocean floor off the coast of Florida. This section, verified by NASA, adds a new chapter to both space history and the storied mysteries of the deep sea.
Attendees will hear firsthand how Barnette and Gadomski’s journey combined maritime aviation legend, forensic history, ocean exploration and the enduring impact of the Challenger tragedy. The session will illuminate how such discoveries are authenticated, what they mean for the legacy of Flight 19 and Challenger, and how they connect us to past explorations in the sea and beyond.
This program offers a unique opportunity for space enthusiasts, students and families to connect with the explorers, ask questions and dive into the wonders of space science from home. The event will be livestreamed on the Intrepid Museum’s Facebook, YouTube and X channels.
Registration is free and open to all. For more information and to sign up, click here.
Astro Live is supported through a NASA Cooperative Agreement awarded to the New York Space Grant Consortium. The program is also supported, in part, by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
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