Ethereal and dynamic in composition, the memorial’s roofscape trajectory retraces the final journey of Flight 93: its departure from Newark, New Jersey at 8:42 a.m.; its hijacking and turning point above Cleveland, Ohio between 9:35 a.m. and 9:39 a.m., its descent and final resting place in the open fields of Somerset, Pennsylvania at 10:03 a.m.

The form of the roofscape is composed of two divergent, reconciled elements. The first is the reconstruction of the tragedy's countless stories and timelines through various sources. These are divergent in composition due to conflicting points of view and conflicting theories of that which unfolded. All however, share a common archetypical thread - the trajectory of the flight path which recalls the act of living or ‘taking flight’, and the act of death or ‘lost of flight’. The countless stories and timelines are deconstructed into the barest of elements and etched into the roofscape's under-skin; the flight path unites and reconciles the tragedy's indefinite narrative through a spiraling motion that begins in flight and comes to rest in the ground. The contrary constructs and their reconciliation allows many to inscribe one’s own unique understanding and experience onto the tragedy yet reminds one of a more powerful and unified collective effort.

Flight 93 departs Newark, New Jersey for San Francisco, CA

Last routine radio communication from Flight 93

call to pilot, Captain Jason Dahl is not answered

Passengers and cabin crew become aware of hijacking

Tom Burnett calls his wife who was preparing breakfast for their three daughters

Jeremy Glick reaches his wife and was informed of other attacks

Marion Britton calls friend calls her friend and informs him of two deaths

Mark Bingham speaks to his mother who overhears murmurs of passengers planning to retake the plane

Sandra Bradshaw informs her husband they are preparing to move against the hijackers

Todd Beamer is transferred to Verizon supervisor who is informed of the passenger’s intent to subdue the terrorists, a prayer is recited together

Elizabeth Wainio informs a family member that they were about to storm the cockpit

CeeCee Lyles’ call to her husband is cut shot as the confrontation begins

Passengers and crew confronts hijackers

Hijackers respond to confrontation

Crashes in Shanksville, PA

The roofscape is composed of an outer textured cast glass shell and an inner laminated glass on quartzite skin fastened to a structural steel space frame. It gives ethereal form to the collective acts of courage and sacrifice of the passengers and crew of Flight 93 and acts as a guide throughout the entire memorial experience. While traversing through its luminous form, visitors are immersed in spaces of light and darkness, and exposed to dramatic views of the landscape. The roofscape’s material reinforces the ever-changing yet unified narrative of the memorial. Its composition is majestic yet humble, present yet timeless.