WASHINGTON (AFP) — Divers searching for a World War II-era aircraft near the Bermuda Triangle have found a piece of an entirely different sort of vessel: Part of the US Challenger space shuttle that exploded soon after takeoff in 1986.

The shuttle burst apart just dozens of seconds after launching from Florida, killing seven crew members, including the teacher Christa McAuliffe who had won a national screening.

The Challenger segment, preserved remarkably well at the bottom of the Atlantic, is one of the largest pieces ever discovered from the space disaster, NASA confirmed Thursday.

Images from the discovery, which was made in spring 2022, show two divers surrounded by fish, touching some of the shuttle's sand-covered tiles — small squares that covered the entire underside of the ship to enable it to withstand extreme heat during its return to the atmosphere.

One of the two divers, Mike Barnette, told AFP that he experienced a real "roller coaster ride of emotions" when he realized what he was touching.

Mixed emotions

"When we found it, (there were) a lot of mixed emotions," said the marine biologist, who explores shipwrecks as a hobby.

"I'm used to diving on shipwrecks that are decades to centuries old, and not a piece of the space program. This is quite unique," he said.