I think the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger was the biggest punch in the gut to me.
Please see my post #84. It’s was came to my mind when I first started reading this thread.
Me, too. I remember exactly where I was when I heard about it. I remember watching the first shuttle launch and landing in the 6th grade. They brought in a T.V. for us.
Now, I have my 4 and 1/2 year-old son watching shuttle launches on You Tube and we're headed out in a few weeks to launch some rockets with a local chapter - Albuquerque Rocket Society.