Space Shuttle Challenger Tragedy... 25 Years Ago Today

[Concord]

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

We were just talking about this at work today.

Asking what we were doing the day we saw it on the news.

A few of us were in HS and it happened to be a day off due to a snow storm. Funny how people remember that from 25 years ago, that we had a day off from school due to snow.

Anyway. That was crazy seeing that on the news. Remember calling some friends and telling them that the shuttle blew up and they thought I was joking so I told them to turn on the news.

 

[Aikmaniac]

Remember it like it was yesterday.

I was in fourth grade. It was a very small private school. Probably 20 in my class. The entire student body (about 250) was in chapel singing hymnals when our guidance counselor interrupted with this devastating news.

When I got home that early afternoon, I watched Dan Rather for hours upon hours with my dad as he interviewed countless space experts as to figure out what happened.

Sad day.

 

[heavyg]

I was in HS. We were actually watching it on TV in science class.

 

[JD_KaPow]

Wow, I feel old. I was a freshman in college. I walked into the student center that morning, saw an acquaintance, asked him "What's up?", and he said, "Well, the space shuttle blew up." I still remember standing there trying to figure out if he was serious or not.

 

[YosemiteSam]

I was in junior high (7th grade I believe) watching it in home room.

Those are great pictures btw.

 

[theebs]

I was in elementary school and we all watched it in the gym. One of the astronauts was from a local town, Mohawk. So it was a big deal.

 

[peplaw06]

I remember the news... But I was in Kindergarten so I don't really remember the day. Probably the only reason I do remember it was because it was 3 days before my 6th birthday.

 

[Concord]

I was on my way to College for the first class of the day.

 

[Concord]

Flying fragments

This picture, released by the presidential commission that investigated the Challenger tragedy, shows fragments of the orbiter flying away from the explosion on Jan. 28, 1986, 78 seconds after liftoff. The top arrow shows the orbiter's left wing. The center arrow shows the orbiter's main engine; and the bottom arrow shows the orbiter's forward fuselage. Investigators suggested that some of Challenger's crew members may have survived the explosion itself but died in the fall down to Earth.

 

[Concord]

http://i478.***BLOCKED***/albums/rr145/bajamarta/challenger.jpg

 

[Concord]

Watching the launch

Classmates of the son of America's first teacher-astronaut cheer as the space shuttle Challenger lifts skyward from Launch Pad 39B on Jan. 28, 1986. Their delight turned to horror as the shuttle exploded 73 seconds into flight. The boy in the white hat and glasses at center is Peter Billingsley, the star of "A Christmas Story" and a spokesman for the young astronaut program.

 

[YosemiteSam]

Watching the launch

Classmates of the son of America's first teacher-astronaut cheer as the space shuttle Challenger lifts skyward from Launch Pad 39B on Jan. 28, 1986. Their delight turned to horror as the shuttle exploded 73 seconds into flight. The boy in the white hat and glasses at center is Peter Billingsley, the star of "A Christmas Story" and a spokesman for the young astronaut program.

Ha! Before I read your note about Peter Billingsley being in the picture, I was going to say, "I think that kid in the middle shot his eye out one Christmas!" :laugh2:

 

[joseephuss]

And in 4 days it will be the 8th year anniversary of the Columbia tragedy. Not a good stretch of days for NASA. I still cringe when I watch a video of the Challenger launch.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Wow 25 years already. Like everyone else I remember that day very well. I was at work when the news broke over the radio. Not being able to see what happened until I got home was pure torture. Finally be able to see what happened several hours later I was still when I saw the replay. Sad day indeed. Thanks for posting the pics.

 

[Faerluna]

I was in high school and we were all in the auditorium watching it on the big projection screen. We were all in shock.

 

[Doomsday101]

I was heading to a job interview that day. Got half way there and heard the report on the radio and turned around and went home.

 

[Hostile]

I was in a camera shop. A roll of .35 mm film got stuck in my camera and I had to take it to them to fix. The shop owner and I stood in awe, cried together, and watched the footage for about an hour and a half. He didn't charge me for fixing my camera.

 

[Yeagermeister]

I was in HS and surprisingly we had a snow day also. I just stood in front of the TV with my jaw on the ground not believing what I was seeing.

 

[Doomsday101]

I still have the full day news cast on VHS when I got home I popped in a tape and recorded the sad event