24 years ago...

[johno]

I was walking down a hallway at NORAD, when the boards lit up. Without the *exercise* light on.

I raced to the nearest office, to find everyone clustered around the TV watching as CNN ran the explosion over and over and over...

Comments

[redrob.livejournal.com]

I slept in that morning - I heard the news in the dining hall @ lunch. I couldn't believe it at first. Once it sunk in, I left, and found a TV running with coverage in the admin building. I just stood there and stared at it; I don't know how long. I don't remember anyone else being around - I'm sure there must have been, but it's all a blank to me, except for the TV showing the explosion over and over.

For my sister's generation, the defining moment was when JFK was shot. For us, it was the Challenger. I don't think I've ever met anyone who doesn't remember with crystal clarity where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news.

Like many of you, my own loss is merely (merely?) that of innocence - of hope. I had no personal connection to any of astronauts, just a shared dream of Something Better Out There. However, I've met and spoken with others who where more closely affected. Barbara Morgan of McCall, ID was the runner up for the 'Teacher in Space' to Christa McAliffe, and had met and trained with the crew as her backup. She did a speaking tour for NASA for several months afterwards, but then returned home, and rarely spoke of it again. For a woman I met some years later, her father was an engineer for the shuttle program who had worked on the Challenger. He still felt guilt (entirely undeserved, but still there) for the explosion.

Still here? June Scobee Rodgers and other family members, as a memorial, formed the Challenger Center as an ongoing educational program. Take a look at what they offer, and, if you like, throw some money their way.

Alex