35 years ago today. Space shuttle Challenger

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Posted: 1/28/2021 8:42:04 AM EDT

Where were you ?

I was in 3rd grade, all of the school watched the tragedy happen live on TV.

Posted: 1/28/2021 8:44:34 AM EDT

[#1]

First grade. They just unplugged the TV, wheeled it back out and told us to read our Weekly Readers

Speed

Posted: 1/28/2021 8:50:13 AM EDT

[#2]

I was in first grade and today is my birthday. I remember the principal came on the PA to make an announcement and I thought "wow he's going to announce my birthday to the whole school'". But sadly that was not the announcement. Instead we had a moment of silence.

Posted: 1/28/2021 8:50:22 AM EDT

[#3]

8th grade. I happened to be in the library and it was on tv.

.

Posted: 1/28/2021 8:51:10 AM EDT

[#4]

I was 40 some miles north of the pad, watching from the school yard.

Posted: 1/28/2021 8:53:45 AM EDT

[#5]

I was home on leave after a year in Korea. Older brother and I went to visit a frien and he came running out to greet us saying, "hurry, get in here and watch this"

Posted: 1/28/2021 8:54:53 AM EDT

[#6]

I had just gotten out of the USAF, had a new baby I was caring for because mom worked days and I worked nights.
I was watching it live.
One of those events you never forget.

Posted: 1/28/2021 8:54:58 AM EDT

[#7]

I was in Korea, preparing for a DMZ rotation that didn't happen
because the division went on alert.

Posted: 1/28/2021 8:58:47 AM EDT

[#8]

8th grade coming back from lunch.

They announced it over the PA and when we got back to class we watched the news reporting until they dismissed everybody.

I got home and watched the news the rest of the day.

For me, it was my first massive "where you when" event. 9/11 being the obvious other choice.

Posted: 1/28/2021 8:59:02 AM EDT

[#9]

Advanced math class junior high school

Posted: 1/28/2021 8:59:52 AM EDT

[#10]

Not born yet

Posted: 1/28/2021 9:03:17 AM EDT

[#11]

Goodness

...

Posted: 1/28/2021 9:05:54 AM EDT

[#12]

6th grade... Went home early from school, wasnt feeling well. Sitting in parents bed, lived in BFE & only had a few tv channels & it was only thing on... Wish I didnt see it

One of the astronauts grew up in my area, my kids school is named after him.

Posted: 1/28/2021 9:06:16 AM EDT

[#13]

By happenstance I got done watching "Challenger, the final flight" on Netflix last night. Four episodes, really good.

RIP

Posted: 1/28/2021 9:06:43 AM EDT

[#14]

On the roof of a 10 story building in Boca Raton FL. Watched it climb, then nothing. We were used to seeing the white line continuing upwards. Went downstairs and turned on the radio because we thought something might have gone wrong.

Posted: 1/28/2021 9:06:57 AM EDT

[#15]

I was working my first full time job. Been there about 5 months.

Boss calls, I pick up the phone and he coldly and with a hint of satisfaction tells me “the space shuttle blew up, everyone is dead”

F that guy. I hated him for it.

I’d been a pretty big fan of the shuttle program, news clippings covered the walls of my room. We watched the first launch in high school...

I tuned out of space until this past fall when you guys got me back into by following SpaceX. They are everything NASA should have been, but .gov ruins everything

Posted: 1/28/2021 9:08:20 AM EDT

[#16]

At work. Lead engineer Combustion Devices Stress Group. SSME main injector and preburners.

Posted: 1/28/2021 9:10:26 AM EDT

[#17]

In my shop, just got back from towing a car in and it came on the t.v., as soon as I walked in the office. It was extremely shocking to see to say the least.

Posted: 1/28/2021 9:12:49 AM EDT

[#18]

Home from school sick. Watched it blow up on TV while talking to my grandma about my grandpa’s aortic aneurysm surgery they were rushing him in for. I yelled at my mom outside and when she came in to talk with grandma I said the shuttle blew up. She was like WTF? Then panic about my grandpa. Weird day for sure.

Posted: 1/28/2021 9:14:24 AM EDT

[#19]

I was a senior in HS. I was home sick, and watching it. Hearing about how they were probably still alive as they fell I think was the worst part.

Posted: 1/28/2021 9:15:35 AM EDT

[#20]

[youtube]watch?fbclid=IwAR1ZeTgIzaalNnQUR33OKtYGYwaKsRUqVcQ34zGFJkF7LMoP4yhiGAoxFOQ[/youtube]

Posted: 1/28/2021 9:16:53 AM EDT

[#21]

High school. I still cringe when I hear “throttle up.”

We were watching it live. I knew enough about the space program to know how serious it was. Other classmates were oblivious.

Posted: 1/28/2021 9:19:49 AM EDT

[#22]

I was in high school. It was all over the news when we went to lunch. When we got back to school they wheeled in a TV and we watched it all day.

Posted: 1/28/2021 9:20:16 AM EDT

[#23]

Quote History

Quoted:
I was working my first full time job. Been there about 5 months.

Boss calls, I pick up the phone and he coldly and with a hint of satisfaction tells me “the space shuttle blew up, everyone is dead”

F that guy. I hated him for it.

I’d been a pretty big fan of the shuttle program, news clippings covered the walls of my room. We watched the first launch in high school...

I tuned out of space until this past fall when you guys got me back into by following SpaceX. They are everything NASA should have been, but .gov ruins everything

View Quote

SN9 lauch attempt today. A historic launch.

Posted: 1/28/2021 9:21:36 AM EDT

[#24]

Unborn.

Posted: 1/28/2021 9:22:50 AM EDT

[#25]

1st grade living on the Space Coast outside watching live like we did all shuttle launches. The following year went to the new school being built and ended up being name Christa McAuliffe elementary.

Posted: 1/28/2021 9:24:16 AM EDT

[#26]

Coc#7

Posted: 1/28/2021 9:24:41 AM EDT

[#27]

Godspeed astronauts

We had the day off of school due to snow. I was a junior in HS. We were at a buddy’s house just doing nothing when we heard about it.

Posted: 1/28/2021 9:25:05 AM EDT

[#28]

Watched it live in Kindergarten. We had to put our heads down, she turned the lights off and then went into the hallway to cry with other teachers. We could all hear them sobbing. Men and women. I didn't grasp it at the time.

Posted: 1/28/2021 9:36:07 AM EDT

[#29]

At the bank during lunch while stationed at Pease Air Base. Teller was crying and I overheard her telling someone what happened.

Posted: 1/28/2021 9:38:40 AM EDT

[#30]

I was a junior in high school. I came home to eat lunch and watched it live on TV.

Posted: 1/28/2021 9:40:26 AM EDT

[#31]

Freshman. We watched it in the library. For the life of me I do not remember anything about it other than we watched it in the library. But I have had other memory issues.

In 2003 the shuttle fell over my property

Posted: 1/28/2021 9:41:05 AM EDT

[#32]

I was in 5th grade. We were home from school that day due to a snowstorm. I watched it live.

Posted: 1/28/2021 9:50:21 AM EDT

[#33]

5th grade. We went to the library and watched Peter Jennings on ABC as he described what happened. Then they showed the replay of it going BOOM.

Posted: 1/28/2021 9:59:20 AM EDT

[#34]

I would have been 7 years old, but for some reason I really don't remember where I was, or how I heard about it. My most vivid memory is actually the Punky Brewster episode where they discussed it.

I have a clear memory of where I was when Columbia happened. I was getting my windshield replaced at a glass place with my dad, and the glass guy told us about it, and even said he saw the streak in the sky (east Texas).

Posted: 1/28/2021 9:59:22 AM EDT

[#35]

6th grade PE class

Posted: 1/28/2021 10:06:25 AM EDT

[#36]

Went to the student center snack bar after a class was over and the brand new projection TV was replaying the explosion over and over.

Didn't seem like it could be real.

Posted: 1/28/2021 10:14:54 AM EDT

[#37]

President Ronald Reagan’s Speech on Space Shuttle Challenger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqilE4AAa-M

Posted: 1/28/2021 10:15:37 AM EDT

[#38]

5th grade. They wheeled the TV into the classroom so we could all watch it.

Posted: 1/28/2021 10:17:00 AM EDT

[#39]

I dont remember i was 1

Posted: 1/28/2021 10:19:54 AM EDT

[#40]

in before the space shuttle jokes

Posted: 1/28/2021 10:23:24 AM EDT

[#41]

Daytona Beach. 13 years old - took photos with a cheap, box camera.

Didn't realize what had happened.

Posted: 1/28/2021 10:30:35 AM EDT

[#42]

Quote History

Quoted:
I was 40 some miles north of the pad, watching from the school yard.

View Quote

My wife was a school teacher then in central Florida. She took her class out to the school yard and watched the shuttle explode.

The next morning I had to fly out of the Orlando airport. There was a young man sitting next to me. We started talking about the shuttle. He told me he was on the beach when it happen. He pulled out a piece of what looked like shinny aluminum from his pocket. He said he picked it up after the explosion. He picked it up before all the police and security people arrived to tell everybody not to touch anything.

Posted: 1/28/2021 10:36:27 AM EDT

[#43]

Watched live on TV in elementary school. Mom thought I was lying when I got home and told her to turn on the TV.

Posted: 1/28/2021 10:40:53 AM EDT

[#44]

I was at the Westinghouse ILSD plant in Hunt Valley, MD, and they put it on the TVs in the cafeteria and hallways.
Every engineer was going nuts.

Posted: 1/28/2021 10:49:34 AM EDT

[#45]

I was walking into a NAPA auto parts store in Dade City,FL ....... everyone was walking outside......and started looking up and east....

Saw the remnants of the smoke/vapor trail in the sky......

Posted: 1/28/2021 10:52:51 AM EDT

[#46]

9th grade science class.

Watched it live. After the orbiter broke up it took a few seconds for my brain to catch up with what had just happened.

Mr. Smith (my science teacher) would have probably shot anyone who tried to turn off the television. We sat with him in his classroom for a long time, watching quietly.

Posted: 1/28/2021 10:55:53 AM EDT

[#47]

My job assignment at NASA/MSFC was as an SSME Engine Controller engineer. I normally sat a launch console monitoring my controller but was driving down to Auburn on TDY. Heard it on the radio midway down. Spent the rest of the drive praying it was a sick joke from the radio station. A few weeks later I was down at Honeywell in FLA overseeing the data recovery from our controllers that’d been found in the ocean.