"Challenger -- 40 years ago today" Topic

Commander Francis Richard "Dick" Scobee
Pilot Michael John Smith
Mission Specialist Ronald Erwin McNair
Mission Specialist Ellison Shoji Onizuka
Mission Specialist Judith Arlene Resnik
Payload Specialist Gregory Bruce Jarvis
Payload Specialist Sharon Christa (Corrigan) McAuliffe

Seven brave American astronauts who attempted to reach for the stars. Seven brave American astronauts who passed into history and memory. We will always remember their brief but promising journey.

I was on a joint command post exercise at McDill AFB in Tampa when we heard about the Challenger disaster. Everyone was completely shocked.

Jim

For many in my generation, learning about it was our "where were you when you heard about the Kennedy assassination?"

Junior year of HS. I can clearly picture in my minds eye walking into the Physics classroom. I can see the faces of my friends and classmates. I can hear their voices. We were laughing and talking and being kids because we hadn't heard anything. I still remember what the girl I had a crush on was wearing.

Where was Mrs. Householder? Our redoubtable Physics teacher was always there as we came in. All 4' 11" of her. Impossible to miss. She was a sunshine pixie who greeted everyone with joy, every single day. The bell rang and still no Mrs. H! This was unheard of. She had spent two years as a novitiate before leaving the convent for the secular world and the discipline or the Order still held.

At three minutes past the bell our puzzlement at her absence turned to anxiety. Was she unwell? Should we send out a scout? Yes, we should. Someone of unimpeachable reputation who wouldn't raise suspicions. And as that person headed for the door it swung open, and in walked Mrs. Householder. Or rather crept in, unsteady on her feet, face red, shaking, sobbing, her blouse literally wet with tears. Sixteen kids sprang to their feet but were stunned into silence. Mouths were open but nobody could utter a sound. In 1986, you just didn't see teachers unraveled like this. Nobody could imagine what it could be.

It took her several minutes to collect herself enough to speak. The teachers of the Science department had been in their lounge to watch the launch on TV. By coincidence the launch time was right in the middle of their lunch period. And so they saw the whole awful tragedy live and in color. After she told us, there was a long silence punctuated only by a few girls crying quietly. Most of us sat frozen in shock. Mrs Householder stared down at the desk, gripping the sides like her life depended on it. White knuckles, red face. I think that was the first time I'd ever seen someone pull themselves together through sheer force of will. And then, so very quietly, "No test tomorrow. You can use this time to study, or read, or lay your heads down. No talking please. Raise your hand if you need the restroom. Thank you".

The rest of the day is a blank. I don't even remember what happened in our remaining classes. I do remember the next day, as I punched a kid who made a Challenger joke and I didn't even get written up for it.

For many in my generation, learning about it was our "where were you when you heard about the Kennedy assassination?"

It was Tuesday morning, and it was three weeks before my 21st birthday. I was working at the now-defunct Mervyn's department store at a local mall that has long since been demolished and replaced by my town's recently-built city hall and many surrounding townhomes and apartments. As someone who has always been interested in astronomy and space exploration I was looking forward to seeing the launch of the space shuttle Challenger, mainly for the inclusion of the first "Teacher in Space", Christa McAuliffe.

I was off that day, and I woke up around 8 a.m. local time to catch the beginning of the news coverage of this historic event. The news was on, but it was covering the delay of the launch because of the unusual freezing temperatures at Cape Canaveral. One network went back to regular programming but promised to resume coverage when the launch was imminent. Disappointed, I turned off the tv, laid back down and fell asleep. When I woke back up it was roughly two and a half hours later.

I sprang up to turn the tv on again, knowing that I had missed the launch. I saw the shuttle roaring up to orbit and thought to myself that I had just barely missed it and was watching a live shot. And then, the tragic moment. I guess I was still shaking off what was left of my sleep and thought a routine maneuver was being made; it looked odd, but I didn't think anything was wrong…until the network anchors returned to live broadcast, and that I was looking at a replay of the launch.

I was numb. I couldn't believe it. What the heck just happened?! So many thoughts were running through my head from that moment on. It was such a surreal experience that eventually hardened into reality. One of my first thoughts was "Maybe at least one of the crew survived", but as that awful day wore on, that hope slowly diminished. This had gradually become one of those memorably tragic "cornerstone events".

President Reagan's address to the nation that evening was of some solace, but the tragedy was still fresh. It would be some time before I and everyone else could wrap our heads around this and whittle it down to something manageable and measurable. Thirty-two months later, I and the rest of us nervously prayed and hoped for the safe journey of the space shuttle Discovery, which signaled the resumption of the program.

God bless them all: the crew of Challenger, the crew of Columbia, and the crew of Apollo 1.

Waiting to heal an eye injury before I started a new job. Was watching the launch on TV when it happened.

Was in my dorm at college. No TV. My best friend, who lived across the hall, somehow knew about it— possibly radio report. I honestly can't remember the details, just his face. We were all stunned. That one of the astronauts was an elementary school teacher, and thus a "regular person," made it hit home the more. I was also a huge fan of NASA, so it was a real blow. I recall watching Reagan's statement afterwards. Later I saw footage at the student center/cafeteria. I can still see that image of the explosion vividly.

Decades later I would get the opportunity to help develop a new molding system for the solid rocket boosters. You can imagine that explosion was on everyone's mind.