20 years

[Ankf00]

http://images.chron.com/photos/2003/08/26/959142/226xRefer.jpg

:(

[Dirty Sanchez]

to the day... since da bears won the super bowl...

http://www.anti-com.com/weblog/archives/images/ditka_for_senate.jpg

[skaven]

I was in high school in Florida when Challenger blew up... we all ran outside and looking up, you could see the contrails split in two.

I've since forgotten all the good jokes.

[Easy]

Challenger was the 28th.

Bears was today.

[Ankf00]

Challenger was the 28th.


NASA & JSC are recognizing the anniv today...

I watched Challenger on TV, but had no clue what had really happened until later. I was about 4 and remember thinking the smoke trails were just the orbiter's flight path and how it left the planet. I don't remember seeing any launch before that one. Later on I saw a memorial bit on the news, and the video, and finally realized what I had seen at first.

Columbia was much like 9/11, sleeping in and get dragged out of bed and someone turns on my tv...

[Methanolandbrats]

I've since forgotten all the good jokes.

Honey feed the dog, I'll feed the fish.

Friend of mine shot GP Bikes at the time and when a team would send a bike out, a mechanic on another team would yell "did you check the o-rings?"

[Wheel-Nut]

http://images.chron.com/photos/2003/08/26/959142/226xRefer.jpg

:(

I was leaving class and driving home, heard the announcement on the radio about The Challenger, watched it TV the rest of the day. :(

COLUMBIA: I was picking up the morning paper and just happened to look at the horizon and saw what I thought was a flock of birds with the sun glistening off of their feathers, lots of waterfowl in my area. I thought that looked strange. I turned on the TV about 30 minutes later and realized what I had actually just seen. :(

[JoeBob]

For Challenger, I was in 5th grade, I was a huge space junkie (still am)- and my teacher knew it.

Rumors had spread through recess that "NASA had exploded." After recess, the teacher came into the room and told us all what had happened. Challenger and her crew were lost.

Then, she did something I still don't understand. She asked me if I had anything I wanted to say to the class. I remember barely being able to speak, not wanting to cry in front of everyone, and mumbling, "I want to go home and see what happened."

When I got off the schoolbus, I ran to the house as fast as I could. My dad was waiting for me at the front door. I don't remember when I finally got to sleep, they couldn't pull me away from the news. I think I still have the next day's newspaper saved away somewhere - along with my picture of the crew. (I have a lot of cool NASA photography - I used to write letters claiming I was doing projects, and asking if they had anything I could use. I got a lot of cool stuff like that. Especially after I started saying I was doing "photo essays.")

I caught Columbia almost live on NASA TV. I was up early, and put it on to watch the landing. When I turned it on, they were just starting to realize something wasn't quite right. It was another 15 minutes or so before CNN realized something was up. Then came the video from Texas, and we all knew.

[Lizzerd]

http://images.chron.com/photos/2003/08/26/959142/226xRefer.jpg

:(

One of those things that you will always remember where you were and what you were doing when it happened or when you heard of it. I was standing in line to pay for lunch in the cafeteria of the office building I worked in at the time. On my tray was a big salad, a hamburger, and iced tea. I overheard a lady behind me talking to someone about it.

Other events I remember vividly:
JFK assasination.
First color TV at home.
Apollo 11 moon walk.
Shuttle Columbia breaking up.
Radio announcement of Jim Clark's death.
First solo drive in dad's car.
My first beer.
My first, um... never mind.
Fall of the Berlin wall.
John Lennon shot.
9/11 (of course).

[Wabbit]

NASA = Needs Another Seven Astronauts

No, I meant a Bud Light.

There are more. I'll have to scrape through the old memories


***********

I remember watching the aftermath of the shuttle in High School. A couple of the classrooms had TV's on. We didn't do much that day. A couple of classes actually cancelled tests becuase even the teachers heart wasn't into learning that day.

[dando]

I've since forgotten all the good jokes.
That's because there are none, homey. :shakehead :mad:

-Kevin

[dando]

I caught this while attending OSU. Can't believe it's been 20 years.....where has my hair gone? ;) I remember it vividly. I had watched a number of shuttle launches on TV, including Columbia's maiden voyage, and instantly knew something was wrong. I had that same sinking feeling a few years ago when I flipped on the news to find that Columbia had gone missing over TX. Both are among the saddest days of my life. :(

-Kevin

[nrc]

We lived in Orlando at the time. At work we used to walk out to the parking lot and watch the launches go up. I remember I was distracted and forgot about the launch and was late heading to the parking lot. As I reached the doors several people were already heading back in. I still remember the look of shock on their faces. From the parking lot I could see the vapor trails scattered all over the sky and knew something had gone terribly wrong. Finally I heard someone say, "It just blew up."

My thanks to all those who risk all so that we can continue into new frontiers.

[DjDrOmusic]

Having lived through losing a family member on Apollo 1, Challenger really hit me hard. I was in Pittsburgh at the time, and remember having to deal with a complete idiot who was applauding and yelling how we need to send all the astronauts into an exploding rocketship....and no, there were no good jokes.

[RaceGrrl]

I was outside with a coworker, watching the launch. Her dad was lost at sea in a submarine accident when she was a child, so seeing the Challenger explode was really traumatic for her. I remember walking back into the office, completely stunned by what I'd seen.

[pfc_m_drake]

I was in 6th grade for Challenger. I remember hearing about it happening about an hour or so afterwards. I remember we spent the rest of the day watching the news coverage on TV. They even rolled a couple of TVs that were mounted on movable carts into the lunchroom so that we could all follow along.

For Columbia I was 'watching' MSNBC while I was riding my stationary bike that morning. I remember hearing Alex Witt (MSNBC's weekend anchor) saying something to the effect of 'And now we want to go live to Cape Canaveral where I understand that the shuttle Columbia is a couple of minutes overdue for landing...' At that point, realizing that the shuttle shouldn't be more than a few seconds overdue, let alone a few minutes, I was like 'Oh crap'. Only I'm not sure I used words that were quite that soft.

At that point, I don't think that the MSNBC control room realized what was going on...I'm guessing that the reporter covering the landing for them at site knew straight away that something was up, and asked that they throw the shot live to him.

Sad days. Hopefully we won't have any more of those any time soon.

[Anteater]

I was observing my morning ritual of going to the bakery in the complex where I worked. The guy behind the counter commented very matter-of-factly that the space shuttle had just blown up. I sure that I'd misunderstood him, but unfortunately I hadn't. :( It was one of those moments that I'll remember all my life. Godspeed to the brave souls of the Challenger crew, and all the others who lost their lives in the space program.

[racer2c]

I was in ninth grade science class and we were watching the takeoff as was the norm. When the unthinkable happened in such a short amount of time we, as a class of 14/15 year olds, went from blah blah blah **** chatting to the girls openly crying and all of us in totaly speachless in less than a minute. The teacher was crying and I remember thinking that this will be remembered for a very long time to come. Very sad day.

[Andrew Longman]

I was 25 and at work. I have been a life long fan of the space program. As a kid I would claim I was sick just to stay home and watch the launch. (who can remember when all the launches were televised?)

I was concerned at the time about the Reagan administration trying to push NASA into self-sufficiency by maximizing the launch schedule. I had told a friend some months earlier that we should not forget Apollo 1 or just how dangerous and and complicated a shuttle launch is. We and the administration were getting complacent. While not wishing for it I said one of the shuttles will fail eventually. It was almost a certainty. I also said "I just hope it wasn't the one with that teacher on it."

Needless to say when Ms McCaulliff (sp?) died on the Challenger I felt more than a little creepy that morning.

[Wabbit]

Having lived through losing a family member on Apollo 1, Challenger really hit me hard. I was in Pittsburgh at the time, and remember having to deal with a complete idiot who was applauding and yelling how we need to send all the astronauts into an exploding rocketship....and no, there were no good jokes.

I've gotta ask...who did you lose on Apollo 1?

[anait]

20 yrs ago? Wow. I was home sick from high school, watched it live on TV.

Was also home sick the day Reagan got shot. Watched that coverage all day.

Woke up to the TV coverage of 9/11. Hubby had gone to work - I was pregnant, and spent the morning in bed, holding our 1 yr old, watching the news.

For Columbia, we had woken up early to see the landing; it was our anniversary.

[rabbit]

I was in 6th grade for Challenger. I remember hearing about it happening about an hour or so afterwards. I remember we spent the rest of the day watching the news coverage on TV. They even rolled a couple of TVs that were mounted on movable carts into the lunchroom so that we could all follow along.
Ditto.

[chop456]

And as everyone knows, Christa McAuliffe was the only person of any importance who died in the accident. That's what news people think to this day, anyway. :thumdown:

[TKGAngel]

One of those things that you will always remember where you were and what you were doing when it happened or when you heard of it.

I was 4 when Challenger exploded. I remember my mother waking me from a nap so I could watch the launch.

I was home on break for the Oklahoma City bombing, so I watched the coverage from that all day.

Was in class on 9/11. Spent the rest of my classes that day watching the TV and discussing why and how it happened.

[skaven]

That's because there are none, homey. :shakehead :mad:

-Kevin

:o Sorry. I was in high school at the time and the two things I remember were the spiralling contrails from the driver's ed parking lot and the enormous amount of Challenger jokes that ensued.

I guess it's time to grow up though... thanks for calling me out.

[nrc]

Interesting piece - 7 Challenger myths. I remembered most of these, or in some cases never heard the myth.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11031097/

I think the last one is a bit specious. You can certainly argue that Challenger, like any accident, was avoidable. But the nature of humans is that we are fallable and so will be all our attempts to push our boundaries. You'll never stand if you can't accept that you may fall.

[DjDrOmusic]

I've gotta ask...who did you lose on Apollo 1?

Roger Chaffee, my cousin. :(

[dando]

They Slipped the Surly Bonds of Earth to Touch the Face of God -President Ronald Reagan

A quote for the ages.

http://www.time.com/time/reports/space/disaster1.html

-Kevin

[rabbit]

A quote for the ages.

http://www.time.com/time/reports/space/disaster1.html

-Kevin :thumbup:

Original source: ---> http://datamanos2.com/challenger/high_flight.html


"High Flight"
A sonnet by World War II Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
1922-1941

Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of -- wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew,
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untresspassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.