The ceremony took place at Arlington National Cemetery The US space agency has held a day of remembrance for astronauts who have died in the line of duty, particularly the seven who died in the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.
Flags flew at half-mast at Nasa installations across the country.
"The legacy of those who have perished is present every day... and inspires generations of new space explorers," Nasa Administrator Charles Bolden said.
Friday is the 25th anniversary of the Challenger disaster.
The shuttle exploded 73 seconds after launch at an altitude of 14,000 metres (46,000ft), killing all on board.
"Every day, with each new challenge we overcome and every discovery we make, we honour these remarkable men and women," Mr Bolden said.
During Thursday's ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, he laid a wreath at a memorial to the seven astronauts, Commander Francis Scobee, Pilot Michael Smith, Mission Specialists Judith Resnik, Ellison Onizuka, Ronald McNair and Payload Specialists Gregory Jarvis and Christa McAuliffe.
On 28 January, 1986, the Challenger was on a mission - STS 51L in the official record - to deploy two satellites. It broke up after launch over the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Investigators later determined a sealing ring had failed in cold weather, allowing pressurised hot gas to leak from one of the rocket boosters and eventually to breach the external fuel tank.
The mission was notable because it carried for the first time a teacher, Ms McAuliffe.
"Christa confidently and joyfully embraced life, no less than her friends and colleagues on Challenger, and no less than the crews of Columbia, Apollo 1, and all of those people who courageously follow their own paths every day," said Ms McAuliffe's widower Steven McAuliffe, a federal judge.
He was referring to other fatal accidents in history of the US space programme.
A total of 24 people have been killed while supporting the space agency's mission since 1964, Nasa said.
Seven astronauts died aboard the Columbia shuttle in 2003 when it disintegrated upon re-entry to Earth due to a damaged heat shield.
Three people died aboard the Apollo 1 in 1967 after a fire during a launch pad test.
This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-us-canada-12302960
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