On a brisk Friday morning with the sun shinning down, hundreds of people waited their turn to place a rose in front of a memorial honoring the Challenger crew lost 25 years ago today.
Some took photos. Many paused in prayer.
The morning started with a 45 minute ceremony honoring the seven crew members lost when Challenger exploded on Jan. 28, 1986.
June Scobee Rodgers, wife of shuttle commander Dick Scobee, spoke about the importance of keeping the crew's memory alive.
Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff from Kennedy Space Center, killing all seven astronauts - including teacher Christa McAuliffe.
NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana, also a veteran astronaut, said the tragedy is a reminder to never give up when things get tough.
That's one of the messages Christine Rooth was hoping her son would learn from the Challenger crew. They were at the memorial with about 60 of his classmates on a field trip from a nearby Catholic school.
"Kids today are so caught up in video games and things that aren't real," Rooth said. "This is real and it shows that we can learn from our mistakes."
-Michelle Spitzer
Space news and analysis from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral 
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