Astronauts Day
| Astronauts Day | |
|---|---|
| Observed by | United States |
| Type | Day of remembrance of NASA astronauts |
| Date | Last Friday in January |
| 2023 date | January 27 |
| 2024 date | January 26 |
| 2025 date | January 31 |
| 2026 date | January 30 |
Astronauts Day is an American holiday, dedicated to NASA astronauts and their achievements. It is a "floating" holiday, observed on the last Friday of January.
Overview
This date was chosen[Apollo I,[1] and disasters involving the Space Shuttle Challenger on 28 January 1986,[2] and the Space Shuttle Columbia on 1 February 2003.[3]
Observants of this holiday are asked to light a candle in their window, reflect on the sacrifices astronauts have made, and re-dedicate themselves to a personal dream or goal of their own, a reference to a quote from Alan Shepard. While stuck in his suit for hours during a space mission, enduring technical delays, his patience gave out and he said "Why don’t you fix your little problem and light this candle!"[4]
See also
- Cosmonautics Day (Russia and some former USSR countries)
- National Astronaut Day (USA)
- Yuri's Night
References
- ^ Mansfield, Cheryl L. (16 March 2015). "Apollo 1".
- ^ Warnock, Lynda (19 January 2016). "NASA - STS-51L Mission Profile".
- ^ Warnock, Lynda. "NASA - STS-107". Archived from the original on 2018-02-06. Retrieved 2016-12-17.
- ^ ""Light This Candle": The Hours Before Freedom 7". 9 May 2012.
