Specially printed rear panel dedication in memory of the crews of Challenger and Columbia. Design includes the names of the fallen heroes and mission information of the two tragic missions of the Shuttle Program along with a quote from President Reagan's address to the nation after the Challenger accident.
Space Shuttle Flightdeck HUD POWER / TRIM SWITCH PANEL includes:
Makes a great gift for any Space Enthusiast and collector.
Space Shuttle & Component History:
The Space Shuttle was a partially reuseable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by NASA as part of the Space Shuttle Program. Its official program name was Space Transportation System (STS).
The crew compartment comprised three decks, and was the pressurized, habitable area on all Space Shuttle missions. The flight deck consisted of two seats for the commander and pilot, as well as an additional two to four seats for crew members. The instrument panels contained over 2,100 displays and controls, and the commander and pilot were both equipped with a heads-up display (HUD) integral during the approach and landing phase of the missions.
Dedication:
Every component we produce for our Space Shuttle projects is dedicated to the brave crews of Challenger and Columbia who have made the ultimate sacrifice so that others can reach the stars.
Challenger:
The NASA space shuttle Challenger exploded on January 28, 1986, just 73 seconds after liftoff, bringing a devastating end to the spacecraft’s 10th mission. The disaster claimed the lives of all seven astronauts aboard, including Christa McAuliffe, a teacher from New Hampshire who would have been the first civilian in space. It was later determined that two rubber O-rings, which had been designed to seal the sections of the rocket booster, had failed due to cold temperatures on the morning of the launch. The tragedy and its aftermath received extensive media coverage and prompted NASA to temporarily suspend all shuttle missions.
Columbia:
On February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart during reentry resulting in loss of seven crewmembers and craft. The accident was caused by a breach in the left wing leading edge thermal protection system initiated by the impact of thermal insulating foam that had separated from the orbiters external fuel tank 81 seconds into that mission's launch. During reentry, this breach allowed superheated air to penetrate behind the leading edge and erode the aluminum structure of the left wing which ultimately led to the breakup of the orbiter.
Important usage warning: Although the switch panel is sold as memorabilia & display unit, it includes industrial grade toggle switch hardware as a part of its design. We utilize these components within our simulation projects and wire them in order to make the switches operational. In the case of powered operational use, the owner assumes all risk and liability for proper installation of this product. Concord Aerospace is not liable for any damages caused by the incorrect use or faulty wiring.