Where were you 17 years ago today? (Challenger Explosion)

History ^ | 01/27/03 | Memories

[SeeRushToldU_So]

Where were you and what were you doing when this happened?

[SeeRushToldU_So]

[SeeRushToldU_So]

??

[The Old Hoosier]

I was in school. The principal came in and told our teacher. She stopped, and told us there was some terrible news...

[SeeRushToldU_So]

Thanks. I was at work and I had heard about it on the radio. I went to the trainging room and turned on the TV and watched the news.

[Tony in Hawaii]

Long Beach, California, watching it live on KNBC getting ready to go to class at CSU Long Beach.

TV announcer said "This is definitely not... standard."

[AdamSelene235]

I was 12 and heard the announcement over the radio in a video store (a new kind of store at the time). We had the day off from school for some reason.

The local paper ran a story detailing how upset the kids at school were. The story was completely falsified. This was the first time I caught the media lying to me. Its happened a couple thousands times since then.

[Kenton]

I was at home watching it on TV. Nothing was more gut-wrenching than the face of Krista McCauliffe's father as he realized what had happened.

[crz]

I was breaking in a brand new forwarder in the woods. Jumped out to have a cuppa coffee and turned the radio on and heard it. Told a guy that was in the pick up next to me that any idiot who would send a roman candle like that up on a cold day like that should expect a good thrashing for doing it.

[JRandomFreeper]

I was working on the F-16 program at General Dynamics. I went out to my car and listened to the news. I cried. I still have the newspaper from that event.

/john

[FReepaholic]

Between Complex 40 and 41 riding herd on video and computer controls for a launch tracking camera.

[angcat]

I was at work in White Plains, General Foods. I remember someone telling me at the copy machine and we all went into the conference room to see it on T.V.

[July 4th]

I was watching it with my 2nd grade classmates.

[WhyisaTexasgirlinPA]

I was working for a CPA - pregnant with my first baby.... someone called me into her office, where she had a small TV and we watched together...... I remember it very clearly......that baby got her drivers license today.....

[South40]

I was visiting a job site in Irvine, California.

An inspector, an architect, the job superintendant and I were walking past a herd of bricklayers with their radio blasting and when the super asked them to turn the volume down they told us Challenger had just exploded and they were waiting to hear the details. We all stood there listening as little by little information confirming it came about.

I remember it well.

[WIladyconservative]

I worked in an advertising photography studio. One of our techs had a filtered tv in the darkroom to pass the time while he was printing and developing. I happened to be in there dropping off film and stopped to watch the launch. We both stood in shock and said "ugh-oh" at the same time. Eventually all 6 employees were crammed in a small developing room, in the dark, watching the aftermath. I know I'll never forget.

[Alberta's Child]

Interesting thread here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/831121/posts

[anniegetyourgun]

At work. Someone stopped by the front office and told my secretary. She told the rest of us and we stood there in stunned silence for some time. When I was able to see a television later, it was the terror in the faces down on earth that told the story.

[Dust in the Wind]

In eastern Colorado loading a tanker with fresh water for an oil drilling rig. The bosses wife came on the business band radio and told us all. She had to repeat the unreal news several times before we understood and the radio went silent for quite a while.

[JRandomFreeper]

"We mourn seven heroes: Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe. We mourn their loss as a nation together. "

/john

[EggsAckley]

I was sitting in front of the television talking on the phone to a friend. I always love to watch these things lift off, and was describing it to him. Then suddenly everything went wrong. It is something I'll never forget.