January 28th 1986

[maximus]

http://datamanos2.com/challenger/challengerhqv.wmv (this vid shows the actual launch and explosion on Jan. 28th 1986. It is apart of a website that was put up in dedication for the crew of the Challenger)

We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for the journey and waved goodbye and "slipped the surly bonds of earth" to "touch the face of God." -- Ronald Reagan, Jan. 28, 1986

I was at home sick that day from school. I was 11 years old at the time when this happend. I remember my mother calling me from work and asking me if I had watched it on TV. I said yes and then she explained to me what happend. I remember that day clearly. Sad day indeed.

[VPI97]

[maximus]

Space tragedies around this time;

January 27th 1967 - Apollo 1 catches fire and kills 3 astronauts training in the rocket while on the pad
January 28th 1986 - Challeneger explodes shortly after launch, kills 7
February 1st 2003 - Columbia disintegrates during reentry, kills 7

[dacman]

Yesterday was the 38th anniversary of Apollo 204.
Today is the 19th anniversary of Challenger.
Next Tuesday is the 2nd anniversary of Columbia.

High Flight

John Gillespie Magee, Jr.

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 untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

[Esquared1]

I remember sitting in Band class in 7th grade when we started hearing rumors. Our band teacher was one of those who applied to be "The Teacher in Space", but was one of those cut fairly late in the process.

He came in, tried to do lead us in a warm up scale, and then broke down in tears. He simply walked off while we were playing and went straight to his office. For the next 15 minutes, we basically sat in silence.

After 15 minutes, the Principal came in and explained what happened. From there, the Principal talked with our teacher, and then we turned on the TV which happened to be in the room.

Very powerful day.

[sabotai]

I think I was in 1st or 2nd grade when this happened. I remember watching the news all day in class.

[JeeberD]

I'm sad to say that my biggest memory of that event was seeing the Punky Brewster episode where they watched it on TV and her teacher talked to them about what happened.

I think we were living in Germany at that time, so it happened in the middle of the night there and we had limited TV coverage. But I still remember being shocked when I heard about it...

[Tekneek]

I was home from school because of snow. I can remember watching it on TV like it was yesterday. Unbelievable. I was in sixth grade.

I was at work watching NASA TV on my laptop when the Columbia thing happened. I had not kept up with that mission too well and had spent the previous evening watching mission summaries on NASA TV...pretty rough knowing something horrible had happened when the scheduled landing time came and went...

[oliegirl]

The silence immediately after the explosion is so eerie...I can just imagine everyone just sitting there not knowing what to say or do...

[DanGarion]

This was such a big thing in my life. I had always wanted to be an astronaut my teacher at the time was in the running for going on that mission. Nothing had ever affected me as much as the disaster did that day. I remember coming home and my mom was watching the news and she was crying, and I just started crying.

I put this, 9/11, the Columbia disaster, and losing both my grandfathers as some of the saddest days in my life.

My step grandfather (who I grew up as my grandfather) worked on the shuttles so it was something always important in our family.

[bigdawg2003]

One of my brother's English teachers from high school was the runner up to be the teacher in space. He retired about 5 years ago or so. I never had him, but my brother said he was one of the coolest teachers he'd ever had

[tategter]

I was a junior in HS when this happened. For whatever reason I remember talking to my friends about it while walking home and then watching it on TV. The rest of HS was pretty much a forgettable blur, but I vividly remember the day Challenger exploded.

[Loren]

Remember since it was a teacher going up, our school was going to play everything on the intercom..there we are sitting in my 3rd grade GT class watching some girl wipe her boogers on the wall, listening when they cut off the intercom and then next thing you know they announced what had ended up happening...dont think the room could have gotten any quieter..

[Fonzie]

Originally Posted by maximus

http://datamanos2.com/challenger/challengerhqv.wmv (this vid shows the actual launch and explosion on Jan. 28th 1986. It is apart of a website that was put up in dedication for the crew of the Challenger)

I was at home sick that day from school. I was 11 years old at the time when this happend. I remember my mother calling me from work and asking me if I had watched it on TV. I said yes and then she explained to me what happend. I remember that day clearly. Sad day indeed.

I was in the same situation as you - home sick from school, happily watching The Price is Right or some such drivel that my fever-addled 14-year-old brain could handle, when the show was interrupted to announce the Challenger disaster.

A sad, sad day.

[MacroGuru]

I was in 6th grade, we were watching it on T.V. in my class...then it happened...we were all stunned and quiet.

All the teachers were crying, kind of hard to shake that out of your mind...I still have issues watching it to this day..

I am the same with 9/11...I was slated to be on the flight from Boston to LA, it was a flight I flew on contastly for work, I was laid off in July 01.United Airlines Flight 175. I was at home sick, missed work...the wife woke me up....just as it happened, the plane hit the 2nd tower. When everything was announced about the flights, I lost it...I went to my bag, and pulled out my 3 month itinerary I had...it was the last flght booked for the series I was involved in.....

[Fonzie]

Originally Posted by indoorsoccersim

I was in 6th grade, we were watching it on T.V. in my class...then it happened...we were all stunned and quiet.

All the teachers were crying, kind of hard to shake that out of your mind...I still have issues watching it to this day..

I am the same with 9/11...I was slated to be on the flight from Boston to LA, it was a flight I flew on contastly for work, I was laid off in July 01.United Airlines Flight 175. I was at home sick, missed work...the wife woke me up....just as it happened, the plane hit the 2nd tower. When everything was announced about the flights, I lost it...I went to my bag, and pulled out my 3 month itinerary I had...it was the last flght booked for the series I was involved in.....

Wow. Just...wow.

[Flame Eater]

Thanks for the reminder guys. I've been in a foul mood all day, and haven't been able to figure out why. I guess maybe this could be it. I didn't remember until I saw this thread, but then again maybe I DID remember.

I can still close my eyes and see President Reagan addressing the nation..."and touched the face of God." It brings a tear to my eye every time.

[QuikSand]

On that day, I happened to be in my high school's media room, practicing a speech on videotape. As we were between tapings, the television flipped to after-coverage of the tragedy. I went around telling friends in school what had happened... but it was really strange, since we weren't able to really react to it as a group. It was just word-of-mouth, the school didn't make an announcement or anything, it was just being talked around in the hallways.

[Franklinnoble]

I'm more than old enough to remember it, but, honestly, I have no memory of the actual events.

I do remember the jokes that went around school afterwards.

Like, "What's N.A.S.A. stand for?"

"Need Another Seven Astronauts."

Yeah, you're not too politically correct in the 4th grade...

[Surtt]

I was a senior in collage and had my first job interview that day about an hour after it happened. My interviewer was the chief software engineer on the shuttles main engines.

Needless to say, it didn't go well.

[Glengoyne]

I was home watching the coverage of the launch while I was getting ready to go to a late morning/afternoon class. The campus sort of moved in slow motion that day, I remember the crowds in the Television/media room all day long. Looking back I don't think I realized the significance of the accident for years. It was a horrible thing, and I knew it. I just didn't think it was going to be a defining moment in history until some time later.

[ntndeacon]

I was in the middle of Chemistry class when someone told me... I did not believe them at first. Not until lunch a little later did I realize that that person had not been joking with me.

[Pyser]

i guess half of america's kids were home for some reason, watching tv. i was only 5, but i remember it distinctly, because every channel i tried changing to was announcing what had happened, and i couldnt find anything else on.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by maximus

I was at home sick that day from school. I was 11 years old at the time when this happend. I remember my mother calling me from work and asking me if I had watched it on TV. I said yes and then she explained to me what happend. I remember that day clearly. Sad day indeed.

I was home sick from school that day too (Chicken Pox). My mom was visiting some friends, and called me as well.

[Aylmar]

This is the most interesting part of the investigation, at least to me. It's amazing that the crew cabin survived the explosion intact (at least, that's the theory).

http://www.space-shuttle.com/challenger1.htm

[Tasan]

I too was a 4th grader at school that day. My teacher was a nazi, so we didn't get to watch, but we heard over the intercom what happened. I was destroyed. At that point in my life all I wanted to do was go to Space Camp and eventually become an astronaut. Reality sucks.

[DaddyTorgo]

the teacher on board challenger was from a local school system (two towns over or so). Because of this we were watching the launch on TV at school with our class. Yeah. I don't remember much, just sitting there watching the thing take off...and then...total silence from all of us kids. Yeah. It was rough. The principal came over the PA I think (hey...this was a hell of a long time ago) to explain it to everyone. But it was just...wow. Totally...shook me. Still does, along with Columbia.

[Craptacular]

I was in 5th grade, and the classes from either 3rd or 4th on down usually watched all the shuttle launches on TV. I happened to be out in hallway playing Parsec on the school's TI computer during morning recess or some sort of break. A younger neighbor of mine came out in the hallway and told me what happened. I think the rest of the the school watched the news on TV for much of the day after that.

[finkenst]

i remember being in 7th or 8th grade at the time and the audio/visual lady came bursting into the classroom, "Oh my god, the space shuttle just blew up." The rest of the day was spent watching the tv in school.

[Flame Eater]

I remember watching one of the post-explosion press conferences. The NASA person was the Director of Flight Ops. He was red-eyed. His chin was a little quivery. You could see where the tears had run down his face. You could see his sorrow at the loss of seven of his friends. And then a reporter asks him if he could estimate the explosive force the astronauts were subjected to in a "tons of TNT" type measurement. I thought I was going to puke, but (to his credit) the Director simply said that he did not know, but he thought they could put a number together based on the amount of fuel left, etc. I will never forget the haunted look on that man's face as he mumbled through that answer. I always wondered how long it took before he got a really good nights sleep.

[Dutch]

I was in Germany as a kid and was watching TV after school when it happened. It was still a big deal for everybody back then to watch the shuttle take off and land. We were all very stunned.

It ranks right up there with 9/11 in my recollection (which I was also overseas during and viewed in the afternoon.)

[BucDawg40]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

I was home sick from school that day too (Chicken Pox). My mom was visiting some friends, and called me as well.

I was yet another kid faking an illness to stay home that day. I watched it on TV live.

[Thomkal]

I was in college at SUNY Plattsburgh at the student center just passing a TV by the information desk when they broke in with the news about the Challenger. As I was in school learning to be a teacher at the time, the loss of the teacher on board hit me hard, and the memory of where I was has stayed with me all this time.

[Eaglesfan27]

I was also home sick. I was in 5th grade I think, and I just remember being shocked and watching the news all day.

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

Their deaths only mean that there are more sacrifices to come in our quest for space.

[Axxon]

My best friend and I were running a copy machine business out of his house in Tampa. We went outside for the launch because it was visible from his yard. We watched it go up and then saw the smoke and ran inside and watched the tv stunned.

We closed the shop at that point and spent the rest of the day watching the coverage. It was horrible but what I remember was how they kept playing the reactions of the family members over and over and over on tv. I lost a lot of respect for the press that day.

[Wolfpack]

Hmm...interesting. We didn't really watch it on TV or anything at our school (then again, rural NC in the early to mid-80s wasn't exactly a hotbed of technology).

I remember being in my 4th grade science class when my teacher came in, I'm guessing, from watching the launch (we students were doing something else to keep us busy, I guess, while she went out), and told us, "The space shuttle just blew up," rather matter-of-factly. I knew it was the one the teacher was going to be on. I also knew of a kid in my class who was something of a problem kid and I can't remember if I thought it or said it, but I at least thought that he was happy because a teacher was on board. (I really didn't like the kid at all. Really a bad seed type who gave me a hard time for a while.)

Obviously, without the TV, the magnitude of what had happened wasn't as great as it might have been otherwise. As far as I can remember, nothing really was different about that school day from other ones. The teachers didn't seem to let on anything or be disturbed by it, which I guess is a tribute to their strength of character if they were bothered by what happened. Or maybe I was just oblivious. I didn't get to see footage until I went home that afternoon and every station was talking about it wall-to-wall. It was then I finally got to see what happened and realize the weight of the moment.

[moriarty]

I remember our Physics teacher announcing it to us, and then he began crying.

I also remember us snickering to ourselves about what a wimp he was. Man, I feel pretty bad about that now thinking back on it. I guess you get a little more sensitive and alot more understanding with age.