The Challenger disaster...

[BULL'S-EYE]

Happened 40 years ago today.

 

[pyth0n]

Happened 40 years ago today.
View attachment 93861

 

[Cholo]

Who will ever forget where they were when they found out about this tragedy

 

[Kevin]

There is a really good movie called "A Million Miles Away" With Michael Pena. He's a migrant farm worker that wants to be a NASA astronaut. The Space Shuttle Challenger accident occurs during the time line of the movie. It's on Amazon Prime

 

[neilin]

Who will ever forget where they were when they found out about this tragedy

When it exploded, the capsule (where the astronauts were housed) kept the astronauts alive until it struck water. The astronauts, after being recovered, were transported in a semi, in bags and trash cans. Very sad, but true, not well publicized. Kind of like when they replay 9/11 videos, the sound of the bodies (jumpers) hitting the concrete is edited out.

 

[375hh1973]

Who will ever forget where they were when they found out about this tragedy

4th grade.

At the time we were wayyyyy more concerned about dodge ball

 

[Jeepnik]

Editing to make things less graphic shouldn't be allowed. Printed the complete unvarnished reality in reporting. This coddling of people serves no purpose.

 

[peachhead]

I was in college, watching the lift off on TV in the student lounge. No doubt I was supposed to be in class somewhere.

 

[contender]

Hard to believe it's already been 40 years.

 

[Busterswoodshop]

I was setting at a red light when it happened , and heard it on the radio from the car setting next to me.
My truck didn't have a radio.

 

[vito]

To young people this event is as remote as the bombing of Pearl Harbor or the sinking of the Titanic. Of course I remember distinctly when the Challenger was lost, then life moved on as it always does. This thread reminds me of something that happened not long ago when I was talking with one of my grandchildren, a teenager, about that day in 1963 when Kennedy was killed. She looked at me with astonishment since to her that event was such ancient history that I might have well told her I remember when Lincoln was shot. We're almost at that point with the Challenger loss.

 

[rovernut]

The worst part of it was that it was entirely preventable if those in charge had listened to those who knew.
The Columbia disaster was also preventable.

 

[rovernut]

To young people this event is as remote as the bombing of Pearl Harbor or the sinking of the Titanic.

I'm fortunate in having two sons who know the history of Pearl Harbor, especially my oldest who's in the Navy. But things like that were always talked about when they were growing up because my father served in the Navy from 1937-68 and I had an uncle (finally came home 3 years ago) who was killed on the Oklahoma.
Doesn't hurt he also has a degree military history. lol

 

[Rustynuts]

Hard to believe its 40 years already. Remember hearing about it on my car radio when it happened

 

[thedogdidit]

I was in the back yard and watched it happen. I still remember my mom screaming/bawling when it happened. Only time I've ever seen her get emotional like that. We used to watch shuttles all of the time. Miss those days.

 

[usmc69]

We were getting ready to be transferred to Calif. My Wife watched it on tv in NC. My Mother watched it from her front yard.

 

[Robb Barnes]

I was walking up the staircase to the parts floor of the manufacturing plant when I heard about it. A local tree planting business jumped on the chance to send crews down there just to walk shoulder to shoulder through the debris field looking for pieces for the follow up investigation. I understand it needed to be done but he jumping on it as soon as he heard for purely monetary purposes still rankles me to this day.

 

[jimbo1096]

I was at work during the time that it happened, but end up hearing it on the radio. I was in a facilities management department for a large company. I had TVs on rollaround stands and brought them out to the workfloor so that the employees working at the test benches could follow along with the TV reports.

 

[Hankus]

Who will ever forget where they were when they found out about this tragedy

I was sitting on the roof of my parent's house, watching the launch live, across the state.

 

[djw54]

The sky was so clear that morning. I heard the countdown on the radio, so I ran outside to see what I could see, from my office at the naval training center in Orlando. Having seen multiple launches before, as soon as the trail split, I knew something was not right.

 

[Johnnu2]

I believe I was at work that day... It WAS a long time ago.

J.

 

[Hankus]

The sky was so clear that morning. I heard the countdown on the radio, so I ran outside to see what I could see, from my office at the naval training center in Orlando. Having seen multiple launches before, as soon as the trail split, I knew something was not right.

You didn’t happen to know a Chief named Richard Flynt did you? He was my FIL, stationed there around then.

 

[RC44Mag]

I remember exactly where I was. My Frigate was on the way back to home port Norfolk and we were just starting to get fuzzy tv reception from the states. Sea an Anchor detail was set and went below to quickly hit the head and passed by the lounge where some crew we gathered around the tube watching something that looked important. It was the immediate aftermath of the explosion. I watched for a minute or two but couldn’t linger because I had to get back on station in CIC. A good day coming home but did a 180* turn to a horrible one.

 

[MaxMan]

I remember a teller coning in my office "The Shuttle blew up" The mistakes that caused this seemed sad as so preventable.

 

[GasGuzzler]

I and all my 5th grade classmates were in the library at Highland Village Elementary School watching it live. Teacher rushed and shut the TV off and we went quietly back to class.

 

[Jeepnik]

My how things change. Challenger and 9-11 teachers prevented students from witnessing life and death.
When Kennedy was shot they brought in TV's so we could watch. I guess they expected us to deal with life, not hide in the closet.

 

[Wyandot Jim]

I was working in Singapore at the time and was in my hotel room when it came on the news.
I think I still have a News Week Magazine with it on the cover.

 

[GasGuzzler]

Teachers didn't hide it, we all saw it happen live. My parents didn't have a TV when Kennedy was shot.

 

[NC FNS]

Taught math for a short time, was told there’s an unscheduled faculty meeting after school and nothing else. Meeting started with "As you all know…" and I didn’t.

 

[stonebuster]

Who will ever forget where they were when they found out about this tragedy

Like when JFK was assassinated when I was sitting in 8th grade science class about 1 o'clock when announced over the intercom he'd been shot. Mr. Couture, our teacher, asked us for pray for the president. Later they announced his death over intercom. Challenger & 911 I was loading dynamite on blasting jobs I was doing. On 911 the excavator operator was giving us updates from his radio. It was nearly impossible to work after the second plane struck, but we did. After the second plane hit I said, "we're at war." Strange how I can remember every detail of those days. I was watching live TV when Jack Ruby shot Oswald when I was 13. My mother was vacuming the rug upstairs