Remains of Astronauts to Be Moved

The remains of the seven Challenger crew members will be flown Tuesday to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, the space agency announced Thursday.

“Although there will be an official party, military honor guard and escorts from the astronaut office, no formal ceremony is planned,” a National Aeronautics and Space Administration statement said.

“At Dover, the remains will be prepared in accordance with the wishes of the individual families,” the statement said.

Space agency officials and family members have indicated that remains of some of the crew members will be cremated. Remains that have not been identified also may be cremated and buried together at Arlington National Cemetery, astronaut Judith Resnik’s father, Marvin Resnik, has said.

The seven crewmen were killed on Jan. 28 when the shuttle Challenger exploded less than 74 seconds into its flight. After a lengthy search operation, their remains were pulled from the Atlantic Ocean and later identified by experts from the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology.