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?

[G Larry]

In the office in Denver, working on the Small ICBM, having spent 7 years on the West Coast Shuttle program at VAFB, CA (GSS).
Co-worker had radio on, thought I heard something wrong, but quickly dismissed it.....until he turned up the radio!!!!!
"Couldn't have been an SRB, we've got that technology down pat!"
I mistakenly thought. "Must have been a main engine." (since there'd been a failure just 6 months prior to the 1st flight.)
Wrong again!

[Siouxz]

That was the morning I found out I was pregnant with my second son. Definitely a bittersweet day.

[mystery-ak]

I was in the hospital on an operating table just before going under....a nurse came in and told the staff....I tought it was a dream when I woke up....but, I found out shortly it wasn't.

[joy361]

Dropped my son off at preschool...turned on the radio...

[Richard Kimball]

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

I'll bet the thought that kept going through your mind was "this can't be happening to us." I've ridden herd on some fires when things went south, never like this, and that's the thought that kept going through my mind.

[chance33_98]

Here is mine, might as well do a rundown while we are at:

Challenger: In a tech college working on a drafting project. Some people were watching it in the teacher's lounge and came in and told us.

Okie City Bombing: At work, I was a manager at a tool and die company that made gun reloading dies and sold government surplus, and a frequent hang out for militia folks. Things got weird there in the months following.

9/11: At work coding a perl program for server managment. Someone said a plane flew in WTC. I thought at first it was maybe just a small plane and went back to work. Soon realized what was going on and went home to be with wife and kids.

[Alberta's Child]

I was in high school at the time, and for some reason I got out of school early that day. I heard the news at a local deli when I stopped for lunch on the way home.

[Spyder]

I was on maternity leave with our first baby - walked into a fabric shop and heard it on the radio playing in the store - no one else had heard it or paid any attention till I pointed it out. And our "baby" got her driver's license a couple of months ago.

[bootless]

I was working from 1 - 10 p.m., so was just waking up. I had KCBS radio on in San Francisco, and listened to Christopher Glenn announcing the launch on the network. I listened to the whole thing looking at the clock radio from my pillow.

That entire day was surreal. I was not old enough to remember the Chaffee fire - it was like a precursor to the loss of innocence we suffered on 9-11... another "constant" that we lost.

[cmsgop]

I was a News Junkie Then.......

I had my Sony Walkman on coming out of my 9th Grade Spanish Class, Mr.Fish, Corona Del Mar H.S.

I demanded my next period english teacher turn on the Damm TV!. She did, and then the Official Announcement came over the P.A.........True Story!

[El Gato]

I had some shower maintaince to do so I intended to go into work late that day. I think I was actually in the shower when it happened, but wether I was working on it or using it, I'm not sure. When I got into my car to finally go to work, they were of course discussing the event, but they were talking to a teacher about it, so what exactly had happened was not clear at first. It took a minute or two for what had happended to sink in. I went back in the house and watched the replays. Dallas in '63 (8th grade lunchtime), Challenger, and of course 9-11 (wake up to the radio saying that an aircraft had hit the WTC, then two aircraft. Got up in time to see the first tower to fall.) Lots of major impressions on the old brain.

[Gamecock]

I was in the Army ROTC office and heard a couple of other cadets talking about something upsetting, but I was in to much of a hurry to check what was going on, had to go meet my buddy at his dorm.

As I walked into the lobby of Maxcy Dorms at U of South Carolina, I glanced up at a TV that had about 20 students gathered around. I felt like I had the breath knocked out of me...

[cajungirl]

I was at home with my 10 year old daughter who was sick. She saw it after she had been spending an entire month excited over a teacher going up and the school ready to do classrooms from space. She and I were devastated,,late that nite she came in to my room and said she dreamed the Asian man, the astronaut, had floated down to the ground like a feather and wasn't hurt. for some reason she was very taken with him. It was a sad sad day for both of us and especially for her. We talked alot about bravery that day. I tear up thinking about it now.

[stboz]

I was in Tampa. We watched it come up over the horizon which is easy if the weather's clear. The booster exhaust flame didn't look normal. There was a flash and we knew it was bad right away.

[cmsgop]

Follow Up.....

Went to CoCo's in Fashion Island for Dinner with my Mom that Day. I remember that well......

[seams2me]

I was coming back from a lunch break, and walked back into the office to a bunch of sad faces. I was pregnant with our first son at the time, and I remember thinking, "my baby will be born into a world that has seen it's first major disaster like this..." because it was on all the TVs and we all have that image burned into our brains.

His favorite movie at the age of 16? Apollo 13.

[aruanan]

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

I was watching the Challenger explosion with 20X80 binoculars.

[sushiman]

I'd just come to Japan a couple of months earlier , and was living with a friend in Kanagawa . We turned on the TV news that morning and heard the tragic news . I cried when they showed Ms. McCauliffe's Mom and Dad ...

[FReepaholic]

>>...I'll bet the thought that kept going through your mind was "this can't be happening to us." ...<<

Yes and a hundred other thoughts and emotions.

It was a terrible day.