Today in 1986

[richkolasa]

Oops, didn't see this post, so I added to the Apollo thread:

I was driving up route 10 in northern NJ on the way to the County College when I heard the news, then watched the footage in the student center. My uncle photographed it from an Eastern Airlines flight enroute to Ft. Lauderdale. They didn't announce what had happened until they landed.

I always remembered the crew:
Dick Scobee
Ronald McNair
Elison Onizuko
Judy Resnick ("one of my daughters is named Resnick" - B.F. Pierce)
Christa McCauliffe
Greg Jarvis
Mike Smith

Rich

PS - The image of Christa's father at the time of impact is one I'll never forget. That image was pretty much equal with the one of U.S. goalie Jim Craig's flag-draped image as he searched the stands for his Dad after winning gold, of course, Mr. McCauliffe's had such a sad end.

[Kyleb]

What a horrible day. I was walking between classes at GA Tech when I overheard a conversation about it, so returned to the dorm to see what was on the news. Sure enough, my eavesdropping had been correct and we'd lost a shuttle and crew. It was tough watching the news that day. First, because of the event itself, and second, because of the lack of information coming out.

That event created a lasting pall over campus. I think just about everyone on campus knew graduates who went on to work for NASA, knew co-ops who worked there, etc. It was a tragic and touching event.

[T33driver]

I was a college sophomore at the Univ of WI-Madison eating lunch in the all-girls dorm (Elizabeth Waters) cafeteria. Very sad and sobering event--got a sick feeling in my gut. I remember taking a while to get my brain around the images on tv.

[davidbray]

I was 4 and at a family friend's house watching the launch on TV. I still remember not totally understanding what had happened.

[262crew]

I remember this date for sure! I was on my way to the doctor to have my cast removed from my arm, I broke it in a Nerf football throwing accident (long story...cyst eating bone..cancer..bla.. . bla..bla..) What I didnt realize at the time was that Dick Scobee was a graduate of my high school. I was able to visit their grave in 1992.

[Rick65]

My memories are of genuinely stunned and heart broken Americans after the accident, every flag I saw, even outside the car yards was at half mast.
I was riding an XS650 around America, staying in hostels so seeing many from other countries as well as locals.
At the time I was snow bound in Philadelphia, being a stupid Australian not knowing what winter is really like.
There was a notable difference in attitude depending on where you came from.
Us non Americans were sad and shocked but there wasn't the same depth of loss for us as it wasn't our people nor our shuttle.
I still remember the footage for it's immediacy and horror.

[p51]

I was in high school then. It must have been a teacher’s planning day because I was at home and wasn’t sick. My Mom and I were in the living room and the radio was on and they mentioned a “explosion aboard the shuttle” and I imagined something like an O2 cylinder blowing up, something bad but not THAT bad. I have no idea why weren’t watching it because everyone in the family liked such things. So, I turned on the TV and by then it was clear that it was gone. The funny thing is, it’s exactly the same way I found out about 9/11 only then it was my wife and I, but exactly the same way I found out.
I’ve since talked with someone who worked PR for NASA at the time and one of the divers that found the Challenger underwater. Both told me stories about that time that chills me to this day.

[viking73]

Wow, that long ago? I'll never forget it. I was in my 8th grade Texas History class watching it on TV. Such a tragic event. I felt horrible but felt even worse when it was revealed later that some of the crew survived until the impact with the water...

Thanks for the picture of the headstone 262. Is that Arlington?

-Derek

[SaxMan]

It was during my lunch hour when I was a senior in high school. We would spend lunch in the band room. It was announced over the P.A., but I don't think I got a chance to see it on T.V. until I got home. I do remember I had a piano lesson that day and was listening to the radio the way over. At that point, the Senate floor was open and several Senators were making speeches.

Initially, when Columbia broke up, I thought that I was watching footage of Challenger again. I had to read "Columbia" three or four times before it finally registered to me what was going on.

[p51]

I totally forgot about the memorial at Arlington. I saw this last July while looking for Audie Murphy’s grave which is close by there. The Columbia crew remains are right next to this, it’s between the Tomb of the Unknowns and the mast of the USS Maine (which is impossible to miss if you’re anywhere nearby). If you can get to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers, you’re less than 100 yards away from it and it’s easy to find.

[Chris Brame]

I lived in Pasadena, CA then and worked downtown at a print shop on Colorado Boulevard. I had my TV on at home, but had to leave early to drop my '72 Chevelle at Firestone for repairs. As I walked out of the service area, I heard something on the radio about the Apollo 1 fire and wondered why they were bringing that up. I walked to the print shop and nobody was there - finally around 9:20 AM my co-worker's uncle called and told me the shuttle blew up. I didn't believe him at first until I turned on the radio and heard the awful news.

There was a branch post office next door to us, and I went in and asked permission to lower their flag to half-mast. They said OK, so I did... I recall it was the first government building in town to lower the flag that day (the official order came later) but certainly not the last.

[262crew]

Wow, that long ago? I'll never forget it. I was in my 8th grade Texas History class watching it on TV. Such a tragic event. I felt horrible but felt even worse when it was revealed later that some of the crew survived until the impact with the water...

Thanks for the picture of the headstone 262. Is that Arlington?

-Derek

Yes this is at Arlington. If you have never been there it is worth the trip!

[John Dupre]

I was working at Precision Airlines in Manchester, NH in the old Building 840. I was on the hangar floor when someone came out and told us. We listened on the radio and then I watched for hours after I got home. New Hampshire took it particularly hard because of Christa McCauliffe who taught high school there. She grew up in MA so that state suffered as well. The best thing I remember about the technical explanation was someone on Boston's ABC affiliate explaining the difference between conflagration and detonation. It gave almost enough tenuous hope to get you wondering if the crew might somehow have survived. Oh how we all hoped and prayed for some miracle!

[Airplanejunkie]

I was in new hire training at United Airlines. Just finished a DC-10 simulator session and heard the word. Grim night.

[HMFischer]

I was standing on the beach at the Patrick ABF officers club with my wife our three childern, her sister and husband and their four boys. We were staying in Kissimee and it was the second day we drive over to see a launch. The first day they had issues with a door latch and the launch was postponed for a day. My Aunt Ret. USAF Lt. Col. Dorothy Sullivan, nee McHugh, and her Husband Ret. USAF Col. Woodfin Sullivan lived in Satelite Beach at the time. Sully sent us up to the officers club for a better view. I can still mentaly see that big orange fire ball. Then it turned into a ball of smoke and just hung in the same spot for a long long time. You could see "parts" spiraling and leaving contrails for what seamed like a half hour. That stuff traveled a long way up after the explosion and a long way down range. It took quite a while to get back to the horizion and it must have still been a long way to the surface. Needless to say most of us did not sleep very well for several days knowing that several brave people had expired in front of our eyes. I have a few snap shots but not nearly as many as I took. That old Instamatic went right in the can at the photo shop and we bought a 30MM Cannon when we got home. Hugh