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

History ^ | 01/27/03 | Memories

[Alberta's Child]

You can't see it in that photo, but in some pictures that show the Challenger on the pad that morning there is clearly a small cloud of black smoke emanating from the right rocket booster at the point where the O-ring failed.

[OldFriend]

There had been so many delays I remember a headline on a NY paper......WHEN IS THIS TURKEY GOING TO FLY.

The media always there ready to criticize. SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE.

[Mannaggia l'America]

I remember it clearly. I was 18 yrs. old and at a customer site, converting them from an old Data General mini-computer to an AT&T 3B2 Unix system. The controller told me about it and I didn't believe him until I went into his office and listened to the radio. Then I went back to my office and told everyone and they didn't belive me until they listened to the radio also.

[smith288]

"... The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. 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.'"



I hear that on a Kenny G album i listen to at Christmas time and that has to be the most powerful line i have ever heard a person saying in one sentence. God Bless Ronald Reagan and may God Bless those victims and their families still struggling with the loss.

I was in 3rd grade and they wheeled a TV in to show us, I cant remember if it was a replay or live but it was very sad. As young as we were, it hit us all very hard.

[Dan from Michigan]

I was at school. The teacher told us what happened.

[strela]

I wrote down exactly where I was and what I was doing on that day. Turns out I didn't need to since I will never forget it.

I was in the Navy at the time, stationed near Mare Island California. I had just finished cleaning out an incinerator at the comm center and was driving back to the barracks to get a shower. As I passed under the big Wullenweber antenna (called the "Dinosaur Cage") at the complex, the chief master at arms broke in on the truck radio. I still remember his exact words that day; "It blew up, I just saw it on TV. They're all dead - they have to be dead." The radio went nuts at the time, with people on duty, the Command Duty Officer, even the Commanding Officer all calling in at the same time and asking what he was talking about.

I drove straight back to the quarterdeck - they had the TV turned on and I watched the news coverage for a while. Funny thing was, if I had walked onto the quarterdeck in my soot-covered dungarees at any other time, I would have been instantly placed on report because I was absolutely covered in ash and wet soot. No one there noticed.

I remember watching the CO pull up in his pickup, walk over to the flagpole, and pull the flag down to half-mast himself.

[OperationFreedom]

My dad and I stopped in at a Radio Shack to pick up some parts after work when we saw it on the news there. Horrible feeling to watch the reruns.

[Spangler]

I was marching back from Quad, a training area at Ft. Gordon, Ga where I was in an Army PMOS school to qualify as a 31C single channel radio operator to have the qualifications for another MOS school in the 18 series (which is primarily for NCOs.)

We were told about the explosion when we returned to Brimm's Barracks, and I was stunned and sad beyond measure.

We had gone down to watch the shuttle launch a week or so earlier when we had a break long enough to get away, but that had been postponed and my buddies dragged me to Disney World in Orlando, (Which I hate) which had been one guy's first choice of destinations to begin with.

I still see that bird on it's pad in a distance in my mind's eye as I last saw it. And I am glad at least that I did not see that horrible tragety live, in person.

[jude24]

I was like four, and ticked that Sesame Street wasn't on....

Apparently, I wasn't old enough to understand what had happened.

[inflorida]

I was in the 6th grade and we were in the cafeteria eating lunch when the principal came over the loud speaker and told us what happend.

[the_doc]

I was a consulting engineer in our main offices. Several of us ran down the hall to see the replay on a secretary's TV. As engineers, we were especially moved by the fact of the technological disaster which had killed the crew.

A few weeks later, we learned that the Project Engineers for the launch had refused to sign the Launch Safety Agreement based on the cold weather conditions the night before and their concerns about the O-rings.

[montag813]

I was in college, in my dorm lounge, late for class to watch the launch. Needless to say, I did not make it to class. I remember so well how we were all numb until we saw President Reagan consoling the families, and how we all cried when we gave his Oval Office speech "slipped the surly bonds of Earth to touch the face of God". God bless Ronald Reagan. I have never felt such pride at being American as I did when then fine man was President.

[Yeti]

I was driving down Gervais Street, and had just come to where it forked with Trenholm Rd. in Columbia, South Carolina.

I was listening to the University radio station, and the guy said that he had a report about the shuttle, but he wanted to confirm it. A few seconds later he confirmed it.

I had to pull over. I was no good for work, and went home. I cried most of that day and night, watching the video.

I was always one who strongly identified with the space program and all of the ideals to which was tied in our collective national consciousness, and just as a Human, it meant alot to me.

The teacher being on it, too. I hurt so bad for those kids watching that at school, their teacher, our dreams, all of that.

It made me literally sick, and I couldn't work for a couple of days. The teacher looked very much like someone I knew, that I had a kind of crush on at the time, just because she was such a sweet person.

It knocked me for a loop.

[Kozak]

Moody AFB in Georgia. Just entered the "O" club for lunch when we heard the news. I was able to walk outside and see the "forked" smoke trail from SRB's to the Southeast. I've never been able to get the eirie calm of the launch announcers voice out of my head as he described the events.

[mass55th]

I was in Albany, New York with members of our union's political action committee. We were meeting with our area's legislators and pushing our Corrections agenda. We were on the concourse of the state capital and saw the report on a TV as we were walking with one of our Assembleymen.

[SeeRushToldU_So]

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.....

That brought tears to my eyes. Congrats!

[wku man]

At the time, I was assigned to B Troop, 1-2 ACR in Germany. It was the end of the day, and I was coming down the stairs of my barracks building, on the way to the chow hall. I saw an NCO from another platoon, who was also from Kentucky, and gave him a friendly "how's it going, Sergeant?" He looked me with a completely straight face and said he'd just been watching the shuttle blow up. I thought he was joking at first, but he wasn't. I'll never forget that moment. God bless our astronauts and their families.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

[eccentric]

I was on jury duty (not on the jury). A bailiff told the judge who told us. My first thought was "Judges don't tell jokes like that..." He let us go out and watch the reports on the tv in the jury breakroom.

[GATOR NAVY]

I was doing touch up painting on the bridge wing of my ship inport San Diego. Someone came out from the bridge and told me the shuttle had blown up. I remember thinking that couldn't have been what really happened.

Ship's work came to a stop as the crew ended up on the mess decks or or in berthing lounges watching the TV coverage. The atmosphere was quiet and grim.

[SeeRushToldU_So]

Post SOTU bump.