Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Cant believe it's been 30 years since the Challenger disaster

I was a high school freshman headed to my lunch hour when we got the news. Can't believe it was 3 decades ago. Watching a natgeo special on it right now. Reagan gave a great speech that night honoring the crew and the encouraging the U.S. to remain strong.

I had just walked out of a barber shop and heard it on the car radio. Seems like a long time ago but the memory is fresh.

I was at Camp Ames, ROK getting ready for dayshift. I had just got out of the shower and was walking back to my room when one of the other guys popped his head out of his room and announced the explosion.

We hovered around AFKN/HNN most of the morning waiting to see the outcome and if it was possible to have rescued any survivors.

I guess back then we really believed we could do anything and that our govt was up to any challenge.

On that morning I decided to stay home and watch the launch, something that I had never had done before and something that I haven't done since. Watching it happen in real time was beyond surreal.

As an engineering, project and construction manager responsible for some pretty heavy duty O&G projects abroad, the missed details, can ruin a career and those of many others.

We're getting old!

We were home from school due to snow. I got a call from a buddy telling me to turn on the tube. Sad day. We had a teacher that was on the short list for the mission. I am glad that she didn't make the cut.

If I remember correctly it was traveling as fast as a 180 bullet from a .30-06 at the muzzle when the disaster happened.

I had a ten year old neighbor who watched it on TV. He was really into it and instantly knew there were no survivors. He was really upset.

Was watching live, I remember it well.

I was standing on my sister in laws front porch in Titusville Fla on that Morning. As soon as it lifted off...My sister in law said something seems wrong it did not shake the House as much as it had before...

My senior year in high school and we too were out for snow. I remember watching it live like it was yesterday.

I noticed that too. I was 22 at the time.

I was fishing on the St Johns River and saw it come apart from 35-40 miles away. It was a very surreal experience.

I was a junior in HS and was just finishing up lunch when the history and civics teacher came out into the main hallway with a strange look on his face. He told us about the explosion.

His was the only classroom in the school with a TV and vcr, which he used to tape current news issues to show and discuss with the class. It also happenened that my next class was U.S. History with him, so was able to watch the disaster on tape a few times.

At 30 years old, the Challenger disaster seems so long ago. Time seems to really fly by as we age. It's strange to think that the 9/11 attacks are nearly 15 years old now.

I remember walking out to my living room where my room mate was watching the launch.

I can't believe it is 30 years -- I remember it like yesterday.

Oh, and bump for this thread for Rocky Raab too... I'd like to hear from him on this sad anniversary.

John

We had a pretty good snow storm here but my 8:00 class went on time that morning. I had rough time getting home in the snow after morning classes and didn't hear about until that afternoon.

The 1st runnerup for the teacher in space was Barbara Morgan from here in Idaho. Everyone here was very disappointed when she didn't get the call. She was later selected for the astronaut program and got her ride about 15 years later.
This is her on right with Christa before the Challenger launch.

I wasn't going to reply, or even read this thread. Far too traumatic for me. Far worse than Vietnam.

I knew most of the crew quite well, especially Judy and Mike. Worse, I had left NASA six months before and had just started as one of two company spokesmen for Thiokol. The morning after the accident, Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes stuck a mic in my face and asked "How does it feel to murder seven astronauts?"

The next two and a half years were no better. As one of the public faces of the event, I got death threats. The Sheriff had a car in front of my house 24/7 to protect my wife and daughters. My hair turned gray. I spent so much time at work and was so mentally distraught that I almost lost my marriage.

So you may understand why I don't wish to relive it. And I won't check back here. So don't ask.

I was in the 11th grade and was in the library doing homework during lunch when the librarian frantically ran out of her office crying. We thought the school was on fire.

I was in 1st grade and the teacher brought the TV into the classroom to watch the launch. Lot of confused 6 year olds I would think. I don't remember many details