In rememberence of Challenger

[NecroBones]

29 years ago today (so not quite 30 years), was the Challenger disaster.

For those of you who were alive and old enough to remember, do you remember where you were, how it impacting you, etc?

I was in middle school at the time, and rumors started floating around the classrooms at first. Within the hour, the teachers pulled TVs into each classroom and gathered us around. Most of the remainder of the day was spent watching the coverage of it. Being a huge fan of the shuttle program, I was hit pretty hard by it.

Edited February 1, 2015 by NecroBones

[Yukon0009]

I wasn't even born when Challenger exploded (I'm under 15 yrs old) but I still go out of my way to commerate Challenger.

[Liowen]

I remember being in school, cannot remember the grade I was in, and watching it on the tv to watch the launch. Shortly after the explosion our school decided to send everyone home so the kids could talk with their parents, in someways I do not believe the counselors could handle that many students at once. I too was a big fan of the shuttle program and was hit kind of hard, I was also left wondering if we would return back into space after such an event. It also made me very fearful of flying for some reason after that point, I was 7 at the time, because I had this irrational thought that the plane would explode randomly in the air, I now know better of course but still seeing something like that live at a young age most likely didn't help.

Edited January 28, 2015 by Liowen

[Starhawk]

I was a young man at the time. I found out that morning at work.

It was so tragic on so many levels. I am very sad now thinking about the whole story.

[zekes]

I wasn't born yet either - but it's still sad. RIP.

[michaelsteele3]

Wasn't alive. But I still feel sad whenever I think about it.

[klesh]

I remember it. I was 7 years old and in 3rd grade. We were all in home-room class and watched it on the tv's they wheeled in. Needless to say it was a shock. I don't remember if we turned it off, What I do remember was the teacher's reaction. They had really sold the teacher-in-space aspect, and I live only a few miles from where Christa McAuliffe was from. It was a huge thing at the time.

I remember we we did memorials and everything afterward. We even sang a song in the chorus about it. I think it was called Reach for the Stars. Man, it brings back memories.

Edited January 28, 2015 by klesh

[kchuskey]

[mythbusters844]

I was -15 years old when it happened, yeah. Okay, so I wasn't born when it happened, but I still consider it a tragic day and do things in honor of it.

However, my algebra teacher told me that he used to be a brick layer in the area around Vandenberg. He said that he remembers that one day he caught sight of a newspaper that beared news of the disaster and that he got dearly sad as a result of it.

Oh, and my contribution to the remembrance of the mission:

[Red Iron Crown]

I was nine years old and remember hearing the news when I got home from school and watching the footage on the evening news. Definitely one of those moments that you always remember where you were when you heard the news.

[tater]

My girlfriend came in and told me the shuttle exploded while I was shaving. I was not amused at her making jokes like that… only to find out it was true. Sad day.

[brdavis]

I was a junior in high school; I had asked our school to show the launch, but they wouldn't take the time. They didn't even announce it when it occurred… but somehow, word started passing around. I was in a government class when I heard the news… near the front on the left side of the classroom. I was standing when I heard. I couldn't believe it… thought it was a poor joke from the student who told us. Eventually we confirmed it with others. I was in shock the rest of the day.

After that I coped the only way a teenage science and math nerd knew how; I learned, I analyzed, I figured out, and I understood (better) exactly what had happened that day. In terms of the physics. And the engineering. And the politics.

But never fully grasped the humanity of what had happened.

Then, years later, less than a week after the Challenger anniversary…

…it all started again with Columbia.

God Speed

[Tex]

I wasn't born 'till '97, so I wasn't alive when it occurred. Most of my knowledge about it came in the form of internet articles or the miniseries When We Left Earth.

While I can't say I'm affected personally by it, I always make sure to keep a place in my heart for all those who gave their lives in the space programs.

R.I.P., Apollo 1, Challenger, Columbia.

[inigma]

R.I.P., Apollo 1, Challenger, Columbia.

I made this for Columbia last night. I should make one for Challenger too...

[LordFerret]

I was at work when it happened. I didn't find out about it until the end of the day when I met with some friends at a cafe for coffee. When I walked in, they were discussing it... and I was like "WHAT?!?!?"... it was instant shock. During the course of conversation, I made a comment about how Revell shuttle models will now become valuable collectables. My friend jumped up at the idea and immediately ran out to a hobby store and bought the biggest Revell model of the shuttle they had. When he returned a half-hour later, he told us that already the store had many people running in to buy models. Us guys, of course being guys, decided we should build the model right there and then. My friend opened the box and dumped the contents out on the table... and he sat there a moment and stared at it... and then finally told us and said "Leave it. I'm going to leave it just like this." It took a moment to sink in.

Talk about a 'wow' moment. o_0

[Kulebron]

I was too young to see it on the news, I remember some TV news from 1987, but not earlier. But in 1988 I watched the launch of Buran live on TV, that was fascinating.

In 2012 I read Richard Feynman's book and his report on the investigation, and that was quite a revelation. He also had a strong opinion on LEO science: (quoting as I remember it) "they fly and make experiments, but there are no important results".

[tater]

Columbia's anniversary is coming up as well.

My wife and I were in bed that morning, awake, and heard a huge "thump." I went to the living room, and checked the large picture window that looks out over the city, expecting to see a large bird print (hawk, vulture, or eagle, the thump was very loud), and a stunned bird on the patio. Nothing. Went outside. Heard a rumbling, no bird. Not long after, we had the radio on and the news said there was a problem with the shuttle reentry. As it turns out, Columbia flew right over Albuquerque, and the thump was a sonic boom. She was already well into the process of breaking up, and they did some searches for wreckage in the mountains just behind my house (never found any). Another sad day.

[PakledHostage]

Then, years later, less than a week after the Challenger anniversary…

…it all started again with Columbia.

God Speed

It seems to have been largely stricken from the record, but I distinctly remember the feeling of unease watching the crew of Columbia commemorate the Challenger accident while in orbit. I will look for a reference later when I have more time.

[Merv DeGriff]

I was at school. Our teacher had to explain that the teacher on Challenger would not be going back to her kids.

These days I work with elevated technical cases, including health and safety issues (thankfully few and far between) and it reminds me of Gene Krantz's Dictum and the cost for saying "Nah, it'll be ok. It won't come up."

Tough and Competent.... Like the man said, that is requirement, the cost of failure to meet that requirement is human life.

[kenbobo]

Me being a youngster, I never saw it happen IRL.

But I watched the Richard Feynman "The Challenger Disaster" or whatever on Science Channel.

It was quite dramatic.

I respect the families of the crew members,

and the crew members who knew the risk.

;-;7

[Kelderek]

I was in 5th grade and our class watched the whole thing live on TV. Back in those days it was a rare occasion for us to see anything on a TV at school - there wasn't usually a TV in our classroom. They took us to a special room to watch the shuttle launch, doing all the teaching points about space travel and such. I'm guessing there was a coordinated effort around the country to involve educators in this launch because of the teacher who was to be part of the crew. We had never watched a shuttle launch at school before this one. So we saw all the pre-launch stuff and then watched the whole accident live. I think my teachers were in so much shock that they seemed to forget about everything else and we just stayed there watching the coverage for at least 2 or 3 more hours. Replay after replay, over and over, as the broadcasters tried to figure out what had happened. Eventually they just sent us home.

For most of my generation and for many years this was our "JFK assassination" type of experience: where were you, what were you doing, etc. We then had to cope with 9/11. Perhaps it is from being older, but the Columbia accident was never quite the same for me as Challenger.

I am most thankful that none of these events stopped NASA from continuing their good work. There may have been some delays, but good people have worked to fix those problems and help to make sure they don't happen again.

[TheSaint]

I was a senior in high school. We were sitting around waiting for class to start and one of the cheerleaders walked in to the room and said, "The space shuttle blew up!" Me and my friends were all space geeks, so we had a bit of a laugh-up-our-sleeves moment and said, "Don't you mean to say the space shuttle, 'blasted off'?" She said, "No, it blew up." There was only one TV in our school, down in the teacher's lounge, so we all went down and crowded around the door to see the coverage. They sent us home at lunchtime and I spent the rest of the day watching the coverage at home.

My math teacher all through high school (small school) was actually a finalist for the Teacher In Space program. She flew down to Houston for interviews and a flight physical and she met all of the other finalists, including Christa McAuliffe.

[razark]

I was in Fourth Grade.

One of the other teachers ran into the room, and said "The space shuttle blew up over the ocean." That's about the only thing I remember until that afternoon, when I got home from school, and saw the endless replays on TV. It was a hard day, and the weeks following it are kind of hazy in my memory. Everyone was in shock. There were the memorial services going on, and a lot of folks working long hours.

I grew up in Clear Lake City, Texas. Aside from one family on our street that were college professors, everyone worked for NASA. My dad was an electrical engineer who had designed the EVA radio system. He was friends with Ellison Onizuka. His daughter and my sister played on the same soccer team. Nearly every family in the area had those kind of connections.

Columbia's anniversary is coming up as well.

My wife and I were in bed that morning, awake, and heard a huge "thump."

At the time, I was a college student in East Texas. I was up early that morning, finishing up an assignment for school before I had to go to class. I heard a rumbling sound, and looked out the window to see what it was. A little bit later, I got a message about the "Loss of Contact" from a news service, and turned on the TV. By that point, they were showing the film footage, and I realized what I had heard. Called my parents, and my father was already working. He was pulling 18 or 20 hour days for a while following Columbia.

Tonight, I'm going to take a walk and look up at the Pleiades my father showed me 29 years ago, and remember those who have risked so much so we can all learn.

[Dartguy]

I was in high school. We were watching on TV, we were all shocked to see it happen, and I still can picture the shock and horror on the faces of Christa's parents. I wish the TV coverage would have not shown their expressions.

My brother lived in Central FL and was watching from Orlando. He was outside some store and could tell that it was far from normal. He walked in and said he thought the shuttle just exploded. Unfortunately, they confirmed it on the TV.

[General Rarity]

I wasn't alive in 1986, but from what I hear, it was very sad. I do remember Columbia in 2003, such a sad day.

Ad Astra Per Aspera