Shuttle Challenger - 30 Years Ago Today

[Hedji]

I can remember January 28, 1986 as though it were yesterday. I was in Jr. High, watching it live, like so many other classrooms across the country. Christa McAuliffe was like a Rock Star to us. I remember my teacher dissolving into tears, and the president addressing the nation on TV that night. I remember the silence in the theater when the Dedication to the Crew of the Challenger was shown on screen at the start of Star Trek IV the Voyage Home.

Can it really be 30 years?

Little did I know at the time what a profound effect the loss of those brave Astronauts would have on my life. For the past 15 years, I have worked at the Challenger Learning Center, helping to keep alive the mission goal of exciting kids about space. The exciting part is 30 years from NOW, some 10 year old of today will be the first human being to set foot on Mars.

Here's to the Challenger Seven, and their bravery and dedication to teachers, children, and their country.

[drquest]

I heard about it in the hallways at school and couldn't believe it. I ran home for lunch and watched it over and over, couldn't believe it.

[MIB41]

I'll never forget that day. A buddy of mine was over at our house. We had a finished basement and I lived in that room down there. Loved it. I had an old bench press set up so me and my friend were doing power reps where we benched as must as we could doing it as fast we could. We were watching the liftoff on a small TV while we were doing this. I was nearing the end of all I could bench when my friend yelled, " The Challenger blew up!" The surprise of hearing that coupled with my exhaustion from lifting made my arms wobble to the point where I nearly had the bar on my chest. I couldn't lift it up to get it off while he was gawking at the TV set. I said with anguish, " Do you mind?" He helped me lift it up and we sat on the floor in stunned disbelief as they replayed the liftoff and explosion over and over. It was the first time I saw NASA as a fallible program and that these astronauts really do take incredible risks going up. I felt so bad for those poor people and the family members who were looking on in total disbelief. Horrible day.

[mpramuk]

I watched it live in the high school AV room with a few classmates and a number of teachers. Being in Vermont, a number of my teachers knew Christa McAuliffe as she taught only an hour away. I remember walking late to my class in the science lab with tears in my eyes and everyone asking me what was wrong but I couldn't answer. Then the principal made a special announcement about what had just happened.

I was touched again by the tragedy that September when I started college. My roommate had been a student of hers from NH who had known her quite well. He kept a photo of her in a frame on his desk.

[Fitski]

I was in grade 6 and we had the entire school in the gym watching on tv's and we seen it happen. They quickly sent us back to our classes and don't really remember talking much about it in class. Years later I seen the 2nd shuttle explosion live as I was watching cnn one random morning.

[palitoy]

I was on the subway, I had skipped class to go record & comic shopping, when somebody burst in the car and announced it. The horrified tone was right out of a movie.

[HardyGirl]

I was at work when it happened, (pre-school) and we didn't have a TV there, so I didn't find out about it until I came home from work. My boyfriend (now ex-hubby) got home before I did and had the news on replaying it over and over. It was just so sad.

[thunderbolt]

coming home from college classes and could see it out my windshield. There was a hard freeze that morning here and they shouldn't have went in the cold.

[Mikey]

What bothered me the most was when the media kept reshowing the family's reaction as it happened.

Made me feel dirty... still does

[Hector]

Tragic event, just tragic. Being a huge NASA geek, that was one of the most devastating things for me, that, the Columbia disaster, and of course, 9/11...so sad...

I also think of Apollo 1, were three astronauts were killed during a launch rehearsal test, but I was only a little tyke...so I see that more as history than a personal experience...

[TrekStar]

Very sad day indeed, remember it well, just tragic.

[rykerw1701]

I remember the speech that Reagan gave that night about it. It didn't make it all better, nothing could, but he said the best words possible to address the tragedy and the need to move forward as pioneers do. He reminded us that space exploration isn't easy.

And no I'm not Republican and this isn't meant to be political, it's a memory of the event and how it was eloquently addressed, just as JFK's inaugural address or FDR's Pearl Harbor speech become synonymous with the time.

[Iron Mego]

I was a junior in high school, and we'd just gotten done taking some standardized test or other, when they told us. Couldn't believe it.

[huedell]

At first I thought I was in 2nd grade (or close to it) because I have vague memories of one of the 2nd grade teachers at my elementary school reacting and showing the kids footage as it happened--- but, upon being reminded of the tragedy's date, and realizing that it was about 4-5 years AFTER I was in 2nd grade, I'm pretty positive that I have that memory of that specific teacher because our school was frantic due to the tragic news, and the teacher I spoke of was the kind of guy who would ensure the ENTIRE school had access to be kept abreast as events unfolded. Anyways--- gotta hand it to Mr. Kelly and my school overall for my memory of feeling I was very "current" that day regarding the nation's loss.

Reagan's speech (btw) had a phrase or two that were simply legendary IMHO.

Those that died that day were heroes in the truest sense IMHO. RIP.

[Mikey]

I never liked that Reagan speech "touched the face of God"

It comes off like they went up, touched his face and he smacked them down