Beyonce Clipped Six Seconds Of Audio From Challenger Accident Description

They were chilling words spoken by NASA's then-public affairs officer Steve Nesbitt on January 28, 1986: "Flight controllers here looking very carefully at the situation.  Obviously a major malfunction."

Nesbitt was describing the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle 73 seconds after launch from the Kennedy Space Center resulting in the loss of seven astronauts.

Now, pop icon Beyonce has sampled Nesbitt's words and used them at the beginning of a video for her song "XO" about a relationship in trouble. She said that the song was written and produced by Ryan Tedder and Terius Nash, the latter of whom goes by the stage name "The Dream."

ABC News Radio reports that while the singer is contrite, current and former astronauts, along with the families of those lost in the accident, say the use of the clip in a song about a lost love mocks the sacrifice the crew made when the shuttle went down. June Scobee Rodgers, the widow of Challenger Commander Dick Scobee, said it is "disappointing" that the singer used the clip. Keith Cowing, a former NASA employee who now runs the NASAWatch.com website, said the clip should be removed from the video. He also said the singer should apologize.

In a statement, Beyonce said the song was "recorded with the sincerest intention to help heal those who have lost loved ones and to remind us that unexpected things happen, so love and appreciate every minute that you have with those who mean the most to you.  The songwriters included the audio in tribute to the unselfish work of the Challenger crew with hope that they will never be forgotten."

FMI: www.nasa.gov, www.nasawatch.com