NASA Halts Search for Remains of Shuttle Crew; Service Planned

The ocean search for remains of the space shuttle Challenger’s crew ended Saturday, almost three months after an explosion destroyed the craft and killed all seven people aboard.

“Remains of each . . . have been recovered,” said a statement from Rear Adm. Richard H. Truly, associate administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

“Final forensic work and future planning in accordance with family desires” are to be completed and an announcement made in a few days, Truly said.

Fragmented remains were examined and identified here by experts from the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington.

NASA officials have said privately that a memorial service will be held before the remains are shipped to their families for burial.

The official end of the underwater search for crew cabin contents had been expected for several days after Tuesday’s recovery of the remains of payload specialist Gregory B. Jarvis. Bruce Jarvis said he had been notified at his home in Orlando that his son’s remains were the last to be found.

The shuttle exploded in a fireball 73 seconds after liftoff Jan. 28.

Investigators blame a leak in a joint between the two bottom segments of the right solid fuel booster rocket for releasing rocket exhaust and triggering the blast. A presidential commission is scheduled to submit a report on the blast to President Reagan by June 6.

Early last week, a recovery ship brought in a two-ton chunk of the segment above that joint. It had a burned-out hole at the joint area.

Eight search vessels remained at sea, deploying Navy divers, unmanned submarines and robots to photograph and recover as much of the wreckage as possible, officials said. The operation was rapidly winding down, but officials would not say when it would be halted.