Jan.28.1986 Space Shuttle Challenger

<hr class="hr" width="100%" size="1"> '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 their journey and waved goodbye and "slipped the surly bonds of earth" to "touch the face of God."..President Ronald Regan

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BBC Documentary about Challenger:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...4773346896573#

NASA investigation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKG4bvZGWag

Quote:

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At least some of the astronauts were likely alive and briefly conscious after the breakup, as three of the four Personal Egress Air Packs (PEAPs) on the flight deck were found to have been activated. Investigators found their remaining unused air supply roughly consistent with the expected consumption during the 2 minute 45 second post-breakup trajectory.

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*Shudders*


Tragically enough, the o-ring blowouts were observed as early as STS-2...

Remember it like it was yesterday. My mum told me on the way home from school (I was only 10 at the time). All evening there was a continual replay of the tradgedy on the news here in the UK.

Lets hope that these massive organisations never become complacent again.

I was at home living with my parents. I was watching "The Price Is Right" with my Dad when Dan Rather broke in. What a sad moment in history.

At the time of the accident, I was stationed at NAS Cecil Field, FL, with VFA-106. We heard that something had gone wrong just after the launch.

We walked outside the hangar's upstairs exit, and you could clearly see the smoke plume.....even as far as Jacksonville, FL, where Cecil is.

It was ominous.

NC

I was at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey California that morning. Classes stopped right there as everyone was riveted to the classroom tv's.

I was at school....Biology class...when the Principal came across the intercom system and announced that the Space Shuttle had blown up shortly after lift off and that all teachers should turn on the news so that we could see the reports.

Oddly enough....while eating breakfast that morning, Dad and I were watching coverage of the preparation and such and the discussion on all the delays. I looked at him and said "That thing is going to blow up today. Right there on the launch pad." He looked at me and said. "You are one sick kid for saying that." When I got home that afternoon, Dad looked at me and asked how I knew. I told him I just had a feeling.

OBIO

I was home on leave at the time. I had just arrived after a series of MAC flights(C-141B's) got me back Stateside and I was worn out and ended up sleeping all night up past the launch. I remember I was in a sound sleep and my mother burst into the bedroom saying "The Space Shuttle Exploded!!! I responded: "WHAT?" in total disbelief. I jumped up and went to the TV and did not venture far from it all day. I remember President Reagan's address to the Nation on TV that night. Seems like just yesterday.

The story did not end that day 25 years ago. Christa McAuliffe's backup, Astronaut Barbara Morgan finally flew on STS-118 (August 8-21, 2007). Morgan served as educator, loadmaster, shuttle and station robotic arm operator, and flight deck crewmember for reentry and landing. Traveling 5.3 million miles in space, the STS-118 mission was completed in 12 days, 17 hours, 55 minutes and 34 seconds.:salute: (Source-NASA Astronaut Bios)
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/...2007e13555.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OBIO

Oddly enough....while eating breakfast that morning, Dad and I were watching coverage of the preparation and such and the discussion on all the delays. I looked at him and said "That thing is going to blow up today. Right there on the launch pad." He looked at me and said. "You are one sick kid for saying that." When I got home that afternoon, Dad looked at me and asked how I knew. I told him I just had a feeling.

OBIO

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Now that is freaky!

I had the exact same conversation with my parents that morning too. I was watching "Good Morning,Britain", iirc,getting ready to head to school and the news was reporting the series of delays prior to Challenger's launch date. I turned to them and said that I had a weird feeling that the Shuttle was going to blow up today. It's difficult to explain...but I genuinely knew that the launch was doomed.

I was in my freshman year at college, and had come back to the dorm to drop off some books and get the ones I needed for my next classes. For some reason I had left the tv on that day, and I walked into the room just in time to see the live coverage as the shuttle blew up. Needless to say, I didn't make it to classes the rest of the day.

i was at work....but i had told my dad i wanted to listen to the liftoff on the ham channel...147.405 and i heard all the comotion,,,my dad came out yelling at me to get back to work and i told him the shuttle blew up and he called me a liar and not to make stupid jokes...as we talked about it last night..he now tells the story that we were working and some other guy walked in and told him the shuttle blew up and HE told me...he refuses to believe i told him i heard it all on the scanner....