Has it really been 26 years since the Challenger shuttle exploded in mid-air? Seven lives were lost, the tragedy was caught live on TV, and Americans were shocked at the disaster that had taken place in front of their eyes.
Space launches had become so routine to most people by the time Challenger came around that it rarely caused much excitement. Indeed, on that fateful day of January 28, 1986, it was cold and wintry in rural North Carolina, just as it was cold at the site of the launch in Florida. At home with my two-year-old son, I remembered the NASA launch was taking place that morning so turned on the television to see how it was going.
TV cameras scanned the spectator stands at Cape Kennedy where family and friends of the astronauts watched, full of excitement in anticipation of the launch that included Christa McAuliffe who was there as part of the Teacher in Space project. Millions of children across the nation sat in classrooms watching and waiting for the launch with expectations of experiments and lessons later during the journey from the teacher in space.
McAuliffe’s participation was what made me particularly interested in this launch. She was a teacher and wife but, more importantly, the mother of two young children, ages six and nine. She had spent long months away from her family training for the Challenger mission which made me realize I would not have been able to make that sacrifice, but I admired her determination and the support of her family.
I tuned in to watch that morning, saying a quiet prayer for their safe journey as my son played on the floor. Everything was routine with the countdown and there was lift-off. Cheers rose from the crowd of spectators as they took photos and watched the shuttle lift higher and higher until NASA Control gave instructions for full throttle-up.
There was an immediate explosion that filled the sky. For those in the stands, the looks of joy turned to bewilderment as they realized something wasn’t quite right. Some gasped, some screamed, others simply watched in disbelief. Was it merely a reflection of the sun or perhaps just a vapor trail? There was confusion in the stands. Seconds later came the fateful words from NASA that there was “obviously a major malfunction,” followed with, “… the vehicle apparently exploded.”
Video of the launch shows the reaction of family and friends as the realization began to set in that they may have just witnessed the death of their loved ones. As they anxiously scanned the sky overhead, America watched their anguish. It was the first time a NASA tragedy had been caught live on TV.
The biggest fear of disaster had come true just at a time when everyone felt relaxed and comfortable with space travel, letting their guard down to the fact that riding a hydrogen tank into space was still a dangerous and challenging endeavor.
Later in the day, President Ronald Reagan addressed a shocked and stunned nation as he remembered the lives that were lost and the families left behind. He reminded America that we were still pioneers in space travel and then addressed the school children who had witnessed such a sad event, gently telling them that sometimes painful things happen when men take chances to expand their horizons. He continued by saying that the future didn’t belong to the faint-hearted but, rather, to the brave.
The president then added words that would move a nation, saying that the astronauts had “slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God,” bringing tears to millions who had shared in the dream of six astronauts and a teacher in space.
Twenty-six years later, many still remember the day we lost Challenger. The young school children who watched in classrooms are now in their 30s. Others, like my children, were too young or were not born at the time. Challenger, however, is a chapter in our history that will not be forgotten, a reminder of the loss of seven space pioneers who helped pave the way for those who followed.
Cross-posted at LynnRMitchell.com
Comments
6 Responses to "Challenger 26 years later … ‘Obviously a major malfunction’"
Thank you for posting this memorial, Lynn. Like the day John Kennedy was killed and 9-11, I will never forget the day the Challenger was lost. My wife and I had taken the day off from work and were out shopping for furniture for a new home we had just moved into. We stopped in a small diner for lunch and were surprised to see Tom Brokaw and NBC News on the TV at noon on a weekday. We asked the waitress why the news was on and she replied that it was because the space shuttle blew up. “What about the astronauts?” I blurted out. “They’re gone,” was her blunt reply. It had been years since the Apollo 1 fire and Apollo 13 had convinced us that NASA could handle any emergency and return the crew safely. What a shock.
BTW, Christa McAuliffe has strong Virginia ties. Her husband Steven is a VMI man who also graduated from Georgetown Law. He is a former US Army JAGC officer and today is a Federal judge.
RIP to the crew of STS-51L.
MD Russ, I had no idea Steven McAuliffe had Virginia ties. Thanks for sharing that.
This tragedy particularly stuck with me because of my young son and the fact that Christa McAuliffe’s two children lost their mom. It was overwhelmingly sad to think that such a life-changing tragedy had struck that family even as I watched my two-year-old play with his trucks on the floor in front of the TV. It’s a sad chapter in U.S. history, one that I hope will not be forgotten.
I was in Daytona watching on that cold day.. Will never forget. My good friend and neighbor is Captain Smiths daughter.. She still supports the cause and the mission in spite of her loss and attended the last STS.
I was in the sixth grade and was home sick that day. However, everyone was interested in this launch because of the “teacher” going into space. She was inspiring to all of us “would be” astronauts because it showed that anyone was capable of heading into this new frontier – not just military aviators.
I knew my classmates would be watching, so I had the launch on live too. It was the first time I was going to see a shuttle launch “live”, so I was very excited. But then the tragedy struck.
As I was home alone that day, I had to deal with my emotions on my own too – and I have never felt so confused.
Thank you, Lynn, for this excellent remembrance of an event that should never be forgotten for so many different reasons.
I was in high school and had just finished two midterms and was leaving for the day. My friends and I were in the student parking lot in South Florida about 100 miles from Cape Canaveral. For some reason, I looked north and saw a very weird shaped “cloud”. I had been to shuttle launch before and new there was one scheduled for that morning. I immediately knew that the shuttle had exploded at launch. We went to breakfast and sat mesmerized by the news. A school teacher was onboard. That made it weirdly personal. Florida was in shock. The President’s speech that night, while kind of contrived with Peggy Noonan’s “surly bonds of earth” reference,was like a national tonic. He was our grandfather telling us we lost someone in the family we didnt know that well, that it was going to be okay and our family was still strong and we would move on. God, Reagan was great that night. RIP Challenger Crew…
Some of you are making me feel like an old man.
I was on Liberty in Naples, Italy during a Mediterranean deployment. I did not learn of the disaster until I stepped into the Enlisted Club at NSA (Naval Support Activity) Naples that evening (remember the change in time zones). The wide screen projection TV was tuned to an American news feed with the sound down and the DJ had the sound system pumping with nonstop patriotic music, such as Lee Greenwood’s “Proud to be an American”.
I remember that evening as clearly as I remember when man first landed on the Moon or where I was and how I first heard of 911.
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