NASA has sequestered from public view artifacts from the Apollo 1 pad fire, the destruction upon launch of Space Shuttle Challenger, and the destruction upon re-entry of the Space Shuttle Columbia. The American people paid for these missions with their tax dollars, and deserve to have access to these potent symbols of the ultimate sacrifices astronauts made in pursuit of space exploration. Without such access, the public has been denied a balanced perspective on the U.S. space program and an opportunity to grieve for the loss of the 17 brave astronauts killed in these three accidents. The Apollo 1 capsule and artifacts from the two shuttles should be on permanent display at the Smithsonian, and the President should issue an order for such to occur within four years.



