Challenger - 25 years later

[Rico]

The Space Shuttle Challenger was lost with all hands 25 years ago on Jan. 28th, 1986.  I can still recall having the launch on the radio at work and then after the tragedy, trying to find a TV somewhere to see what was going on.  As we try to explore the unknown, we must never take for granted the types of risks those involved are taking.  But I know all of the astronauts aboard felt what they were doing was valuable and important.  I commend them and those they left behind.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41296542/ns/technology_and_science-space/

[Geekyfanboy]

I remember like it was yesterday.. I was in 9th grade in class and they had a TV and we all stopped to watch the launch. It's something that I will never forget.

[Bryancd]

Yeah, I was a senior in High School and was in class when it happened. When class was over I heard the news in the hallway but didn't believe it so i went down to the A/V room in the school library that had a TV and saw the news coverage. Very sad day, I think we just never thought it could ever happen.

[billybob476]

I was 5 when this happened. I was very, very ill that year (I had mono and missed 6 weeks of school) and I guess because of that I don't have any memory of it.

[moyer777]

I was walking through the student union building at our local college between classes.  Paused and watched the launch on the TV set in the fireside room.  The whole place let out a gasp when it blew up and then we all just kind of stood there.    It was a sad day.

[Feathers]

I remember it but not in detail (i.e. where i was). I must have been in my first year of A-Level study so could have been at school or in bed.

Was it really that long ago?

[RickPeete]

I remember it well. I was working doing programming consulting for the US Marshal Service in Virginia.  The whole office stopped working to watch the launch.  And everyone was so stunned when it exploded.  It was quiet in the office.  The rest of the day was just the 20 of us listening to the news reports and talking to each other, trying to make sense of such a tragic event.

In 1992, my step-son (at that time) and I went on a Father-n-Son camp at Space Camp, where we learned a great deal about the shuttle program.  And there was one very special two hour session with an official from NASA who came down to talk to us all about Challenger, the facts learned thus far.  And he brought a laserdisc with him and showed us footage and video from the investigation -- information that had not been made public yet.  It was a very somber meeting but it was so welcome to have real information and to know how seriously NASA felt about what happened.

I will never forget either of these two events in my life.

And if you ever get a chance to go to Space Camp with your children, do it.  It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

[Pyrovile]

I was at my parents place, had the day off.  Was sitting in the living room just killing time and watching the launch.  Very sad.

[davekill]

I was at my job at a skilled nursing facility.
I remember walking through the day room and pausing in front of the TV to watch the countdown.
Seems odd, because even the old folks sitting around seemed lulled by the routine of another shuttle launch.
Lift off - the shuttle cleared the gantry and was climbing. I turned and was heading out of the room when it happened.

By chance a few years later I heard an ex-nasa engineer speaking about the pressure they all where under to keep these shuttle missions on schedule. He had warned his department head about the risks involved and was threatened with his job to quit making waves.

He was devastated by the accident.

[X]

Fourth grade. Saw it and then my mind refused to let me believe they were dead. Somehow they had to survive or someone rescued them. Comic books had convinced me that you couldn't have a death without a body. After hours of figuring out how they might have gotten away, I sadly accepted that they didn't.

[Zarabeth32]

I was seven when it happened. My dad took me to the hospital two weeks later. We went to go and meet my sister. She was born on February 11th and my parents named her Christa after Christa McAuliffe. It's all over the news up here in NH. I wish that I could have known her. Her picture is just about in every other school in the Concord area.

[davekill]

The sacrifices and purpose of so many are remembered.
I thought this might be appropriate for today.

Think Outside the Circle