this time 20 years ago, i was six years old approaching 7. i was like all other kids at that age: rowdy, obnoxious, high-strung, and in class from 8am-2:30pm. we'd learn our math, english, ohio history, and of course....science.
on this day 20 years ago, my science lesson was one of horror, that i wouldn't completely understand until i was older. my classmates, teacher and i watched on television as nasa prepared to launch the space shuttle challenger. i had no idea back then the magnitude and seeming importance of the space program, nor did i understand what they were even going to study once they go there. all i knew was there was a big space ship about ready to blast off to a place i'd never in my lifetime get to see, complete with a crew including a teacher, scientists, and others (their names and professions escape me at the moment. perhaps i should google it). sadly, they didn't get to see it either.
we arranged our chairs in rows so that everyone could see the countdown to launch and the subsequent commentary as the shuttle was to exit our atmosphere and enter the great beyond. "t-minus 10...9......8... and so on down to 1." ignition and blast off. again, i didn't understand exactly what was going on, but it sure was exciting. all that fire and smoke, and then this huge ship just lifted off the ground. 73 seconds later, it came to a tragic end.
i remember looking on in amazement, shock, and child-horror as the challenger shuttle morphed into a huge ball of fire and falling schrapnel. i can't recall any of the commentary verbatim, but the word "tragedy" was sure used an awful lot.
i saw on the news yesterday that this was the 20th anniversary of the accident. though we've made great strides technologically in the advancement of our ships, it's still a very dangerous occupation being an astronaut; and one that requires the courage only a few humans possess.
with each passing mission, and intermittent tragedies like the columbia disaster in 2003, we are learning more and more about the world and universe around us. even through such tragedies, we are still blessed with individuals that will give their own lives in the name of science and advancement. i only hope that the advancements in science and technology born of the experiments they conduct are worthy of their sacrifices. we should all be thankful that it was they, and not someone like me, that volunteered for a mission that returned them to their original ashes. may they rest in peace
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/Biographies/challenger.html
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Yep...pretty effin' strange. I was in 5th grade and it is one of the oldest and most clear moments of my childhood. I remember so vividly when it happened and the moments thereafter. I can recall where my classmates were seated, the layout of the room, the lesson plan we were working on, and can even envision my teacher's facial expression (putting her hand over her mouth in amazement) -- and that she was wearing black. I can't imagine how much better my memory would be had I not killed so many brain cells in college. Yikes.
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