exploded on January 28, 1986.
I was working in an office when Craig Aldred came in and said "That was Marilynn [his wife] and she said the Challenger blew up."
We went and watched the news at another business in the building that had a TV.
I was in the Army with less than a month left before getting out. I remember a SGT mentioning something about it. We snuck up to our room and watched it on TV the rest of the day.
I was at school. 10th grade. We had a Space Shuttle Club at our school. When it happened everyone that could crammed into that little clubs room to watch the TV. A few years later the dad of the teacher/astronaut Christa McAuliffe came to a dedication thing the club held.
7 myths about the Challenger shuttle disaster.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11031097/ns/technology_and_science-space/
High Flight
High Flight
By John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed and joined the tumbling mirth of sun-split clouds -
and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of -
wheeled and soared and swung high in the sunlit silence.
Hovering there I've chased the shouting wind along
and flung my eager craft through footless halls of air.
"Up, up the long delirious burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace,
where never lark, or even eagle, flew;
and, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
the high untrespassed sanctity of space,
put out my hand and touched the face of God.
************************
High Flight was composed by Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee, Jr., an American serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force. He was born in Shanghai, China in 1922, the son of missionary parents, Reverend and Mrs. John Gillespie Magee; his father was an American and his mother was originally a British citizen.
He came to the U.S. in 1939 and earned a scholarship to Yale, but in September 1940 he enlisted in the RCAF and was graduated as a pilot. He was sent to England for combat duty in July 1941.
In August or September 1941, Pilot Officer Magee composed High Flight and sent a copy to his parents. Several months later, on December 11, 1941 his Spitfire collided with another plane over England and Magee, only 19 years of age, crashed to his death.
His remains are buried in the churchyard cemetery at Scopwick, Lincolnshire.
5th Grade
Heard the news standing in the lunch line
High Flight
> High Flight
> By John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
Sure was a good looking guy too!! :love:
High Flight
Basic Training at Ft.Benning GA. on the M2 range. When we got back to Sand Hill watched some footage in the CQ office.
I was unemployed at the time, and did see it on TV within minutes of it's occuring. It was no accident and would occur again today under the same conditions. They exceeded the safe design parameters. Any college freshman physics student can do the math, but the experts knew too much to check the basics.
Paul in PA
I was working on an estate division...the old man had died and momma was dividing what was left between the kids...Howard County, Arkansas. Me and Edwin Bradley had stopped for lunch...tuned into Paul Harvey for the rest of the story...
Tragic news...forgot all about the "good day"...
DDSM
I was in 4th grade.
We were working in the field, usually we stop to watch the launches. But we just missed this one.
When the chief looked up and saw the contrail, he said "That doesn't look right" and joked "It looks like the shuttle exploded."
We continued working, and when we came back to civilization for lunch, that's when we noticed all the women crying and the never-ending news coverage.
That was indeed a sad day.
