Twenty five years. It's amazing to think this much time has gone by since the Challenger explosion. We've had an even more indelible event occur since, and that will be at the ten year mark this September; the Challenger is, for my generation, the first "where were you when" event like the Kennedy Assassination or Neil Armstrong walking on the moon was for our parents' generation. I posted my recollections two years ago of the events that day - and this is one of the neat things about blogging - when my son studies the 1980s in school and they cover the Challenger event, I can pull up that post with my recollections intact.
Remember today, the seven astronauts who lost their lives, and the hit from which the American Space program has yet to recover...
That is all.
8 comments:
"go at throttle up..."
when my son studies the 1980s in school...
I hate to wonder what the textbooks will be blaming America for, or what will be REMOVED from history when he is studying the 1980's....
We should also be remembering just why they died, i.e., "Take off your engineering hat and put on your management hat."
"...and the hit from which the American Space program has yet to recover..."
Which is sad considering how freaking dangerous the whole space program was/is. The relatively few tragedies we had is amazing for the level of risk involved.
Also found this on Protein Wisdom. Reagan's Challenger speech.
I was sitting at a drafting table working my first "real" job out of college, making maps for cruise missles. (Back in the olden days before AutoCad. It wasn't quite parchment and India ink, but it *was* by hand.) Dane, who had been listening to the radio, took off his headpohones and told us what happened. It was a pretty somber day after that.
Watched it happen live at the Chief's Club at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard just up the road from you, Jay. It sucked that day, and it still sucks now.
My ship went down and picked up parts out of the water. The nosecone from the booster that exploded.
Post a Comment