OT: 22 Years Ago Today...Challenger

PaperPatch · Post by **PaperPatch** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 11:33 am

The Crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger perished shortly after lift-off.

It doesn't seem that long ago...and I can still remember that I was changing the pilots side windscreen on a Piper Cheyenne, when the news came.

What were you guys doing???

AndyM · Post by **AndyM** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 11:41 am

I was in my 6th grade science class when the priciple came on the loud sspeaker and announced it.

Rusty · Post by **Rusty** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 11:59 am

I was standing outside doing a pretrip on a truck I was about to go out on when I happened to look up and see the screwy lookin contrail. I went inside to tell our manager to come look at it, that was when he told me what it was from.

Rusty <><

nemhed · Post by **nemhed** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 12:03 pm

I was in my second year of A&P school, found out in between classes. We spent the rest of the day glued to the TV. The only thing I can compare it to was 9/11/01, when I was working for United Airlines.

MacEntyre · Post by **MacEntyre** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 12:46 pm

I was in Center City Phila, same place I was when Chernobyl melted down.

rjohns94 · Post by **rjohns94** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 12:50 pm

watching it on tv

TedH · Post by **TedH** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 12:52 pm

I was at my locker in High School when someone told me about it.

claybob86 · Post by **claybob86** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 12:55 pm

I was driving a delivery van in Austin, TX and heard it on the radio.

FWiedner · Post by **FWiedner** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 1:33 pm

I was at the MACS-7 Squadron HQ at MCAS Yuma picking up mail for the Marines working in our Electronics Mantenance Unit at the P-111 remote tactical radar/HAWK missile site.

There was a small TV on in the S-1 office, and about 20 Marines had gathered to watch after the explosion, during the first replays. We were standing and watching the event unfold in total silence.

The Squadron Legal Officer wandered by and made a flippant remark about "No big deal, we've got 3 more of them."

The Squdaron XO turned to look directly at her and said "Shut Up, Lieutenant."

... and we just kept watching...

colo native · Post by **colo native** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 4:08 pm

I was on a machinery buying trip in Gadston Al, in the office watching the lift off, didnt seem that long ago...

Post by **Old Savage** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 4:30 pm

Had a friend who was an astronaut at the time. He was involved in the investigation. Subsequently went up twice and held the space walk record for a time. They were naturally all quite shaken with it.

eric65 · Post by **eric65** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 4:58 pm

Told about it in boot camp, first time I ever knew a drill instructor could cry.

marlin shooter · Post by **marlin shooter** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:45 pm

I was working at a International Harvester dealer and ernie came out of the part's room and said it blew up. Nobody believed him as he was a joker. Very quiet in the shop when we realized he wasn't kidding.
Karl

Post by **Ysabel Kid** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:54 pm

I was in college. Hard to believe it has been that long...

Bogie35 · Post by **Bogie35** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:57 pm

I was a sophomore at The Citadel. I was returning to my room after a morning class when a member of my company ran out of his room yelling that the space shuttle had just blown up. A very sobering moment in my life.

bogie

pharmseller · Post by **pharmseller** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:58 pm

I too was in college. I had the take the GF (I wonder whatever happened to her?) to the eye doctor. Watched it on the waiting room tv. A very bad day indeed.

Quinn

Kansas Ed · Post by **Kansas Ed** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 6:43 pm

I had one of those foot-in-mouth moments that day.

I was working as a bartender in a local bar at the time, and walked in the door to a room full of people sitting in stoney silence. I walked in, looked around the room and spouted: "Sure is quiet in here...who the hell died." One of the old men at the bar just pointed to the TV...

Ed

Jayhawker · Post by **Jayhawker** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 7:09 pm

I was at the deli/sandwich bar in Misawa AFB Japan. Just standing in line waiting to place my order. They had a television hanging off the ceiling but nobody was paying much attention since a shuttle launch was pretty much a routine thing at that time. I think I let out a four letter word when it went off and immediately got the attention of everyone in the place. Those AF types were pretty much straight and narrow from my experience and didn't know how to respond to an old salt. I heard a few comments about the slovenly nature of sailors and the Navy in general until they realized what had my attention. Everyone went very quiet for a long time before the conversation erupted again. No one could really believe what had happened.

It was another one of those events that you know will change things, you just didn't know how or how much. Sort of like the Kennedy assassination and 9/11. You tend to remember where you were when and how you heard the news.

JReed · Post by **JReed** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 7:17 pm

I was in 4th grade we were watching the launch in class when it all went wrong.

We didnt do much class work after that.

AJMD429 · Post by **AJMD429** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 8:19 pm

I was getting ready to chew the other residents for standing around watching TV during rounds.

One memorable thing about it was how at the point one smoke trailgoing up instantaneously became three smoke trails going at other angles (none continuing even remotely on the same path), it was painfully obvious that a catastrophic and unsurvivable incident had happened, but the BUBBLE-HEADED news chick said something like "Oooh... how beautiful...!" and the SNAIL-BRAINED news guy said something like "Yes, there's tremendous power in those engines..." Now I know not everyone takes physics in school, but I just couldn't believe how the dumb news people kept blabbering on, and seemed genuinely confused that something that "beautiful" could have somehow been a bad thing.

Another observation we had (we were rounding on alot of terminally ill and brain-dead patients in an intensive care unit that day), was that although it was obviously a deep loss for the families, and a tragedy the nation would mourn, what better way to go than on one of the most incredible adventures imaginable, and have it happen so instantaneously, as opposed to the slow deterioration faced by so many people who have as the backdrop for their battle with cancer or stroke just an ordinary life of work at the office, pay bills, save for vacation.

What a dull world we'd all live in, and how few discoveries would have been made, however, were it not for those who dare to risk their lives exploring or adventuring or inventing.

Duff L Bagg · Post by **Duff L Bagg** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 10:24 pm

I was assigned to the 308th Missile maintaince squadron Little Rock AFB, Ar.
I had worked late the night before, I set my alarm to get me up just before launch. I got up with just enough time to pour a cup and turn on the tube.
With a great deal of pride as an American I had watched all of the previous launches and was not going to miss this one. I can remember thinking something has gone terribly wrong as I watched the exhaust from the SRB's begin to cork screw. I watched the replay time and again with the same sense of disbelief and sadness.
I later went on to work at the Kennedy Space Center for 15 years, supporting the Space Shuttle program. I rebuilt and tested the Hydraulic latching valves that Isolate the hydraulic systems aboard the Space Shuttle during flight. As I preformed my daily duties I always had Challenger in the back my mind. Good was never good enough.

cas · Post by **cas** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 7:30 pm

I was in High School.. stayed home that day for some reason, maybe a snow storm. Had spent the day and the night before assembling an R/C car kit and had gone outside to take some photos of it in the snow. When I came back in, I sat down and watched the launch. Every once in a while I'll come across those pictures and think about what happened only moments later.