Debris from Challenger space shuttle found by divers

Divers went looking for WWII aircraft wreckage off the Florida coastline. But what they found was a whole different story.

Divers who were looking for wreckage from WWII aircraft off the coast of Florida, US, have stumbled instead upon wreckage from a different disaster entirely.

Debris from the ill-fated Space Shuttle Challenger, which famously blew up on takeoff in 1986, was found by divers filming a documentary for The History Channel in the warm waters of the Bermuda Triangle.

New footage, taken by the divers in May this year, shows the moment the team made the amazing discovery.

Chancing upon a large, man-made object, which was partially covered by sand on the seabed, the team noticed it seemed to have a modern construction with square tiles across it.

A segment of the Challenger discovered by the documentary divers. Picture: The History Channel/AFP

Marine biologist Mike Barnette and wreck diver Jimmy Gadomski made the amazing discovery. Picture: The History Channel/AFP

With the dive site’s proximity to the coast of Florida, where the Kennedy Space Centre is located, the filmmakers contacted NASA.

Experts from the Space Centre viewing the footage confirmed it was, indeed, from the Challenger space shuttle.

“While it has been nearly 37 years since seven daring and brave explorers lost their lives aboard Challenger, this tragedy will forever be seared in the collective memory of our country,” NASA spokesman Bill Nelson said. “For millions around the globe, myself included, January 28, 1986, still feels like yesterday.

“This discovery gives us an opportunity to pause once again, to uplift the legacies of the seven pioneers we lost, and to reflect on how this tragedy changed us,” he said.

While many fragments from the space shuttle were found after the tragedy, this latest find provides another piece of history.

Seven astronauts killed in 1986 shuttle disaster

Christa McAuliffe was killed in the 1986 disaster.

The Challenger space shuttle taking off.

Excitement around the January 28, 1986, launch of the Challenger space shuttle had been frenetic, largely because on the team would be the first civilian to go into space.

Teacher Christa McAuliffe won the coveted spot on the shuttle from 11,000 applicants to the NASA Teacher in Space Project.

As part of her mission, she was to conduct experiments in space as well as teaching two lessons from the shuttle.

But it wasn’t to be. One minute 13 seconds after launch, Challenger broke apart, killing all on-board, as the world watched on in horror.

Those who died were commander Dick Scobee, pilot Michael Smith, mission specialists Ellison Onizuka, Ronald McNair and Judith Resnik, payload specialist Gregory Jarvis, and teacher Christa McAuliffe.

The space shuttle Challenger explodes shortly after takeoff. All seven crew members died.

An investigation into the disaster later found unexpectedly cold temperatures affected the integrity of the O-ring seals in the solid rocket booster segment joints.

Some NASA employees had raised concerns after an overnight cold front before the launch left ice on the shuttle, but managers cleared it for the mission.

Lift-off took place at 11.38am local time.

Lessons learnt from the disaster helped change safety priorities at the space agency with new risk assessment procedures put in place as a result.