Challenger..where were you?

Beeker

24 years ago today Challenger exploded in the skies just off Florida.
Anyone remember where they were at the time?

I was at work listening to it on "Voice Of America" on my shortwave radio. It was the only way to hear a launch live back then. I was shocked when the reporter said that there was an explosion and it soon became clear that there would be no survivors. The reporter kept hoping that the crew could escape and come down in parachutes. But of course I knew as did anyone who followed the Shuttle back then that there were no parachutes and no way to survive a malfunction in the first two minutes of flight. I rang home and had my mother turn on the TV and start recording any station that was carrying the news. I then hoped on my bike and cycled the three miles to home and watched in horror as they replayed the explosion over and over again on news programmes. We had no SKY News back then but RTE did provide coverage from CNN for a few hours.

STS 51L Challenger Jan 28 1986. Let us never forget!

Sykk

I wasn't born yet!

I was watching a docu the other day on this. I'm sure you know that NASA and the board recieved a call from a previous shuttle launch's head engineer. He begged them not to launch over the design of the O-Rings. He knew it wasn't going to work.

Board and MD's sat on their fat arses knowing there was a good chance it would blow up went ahead with it anyway.

RIP Challenger and the people on board.

Firewalkwithme

I was at home, baking a cake when I heard it on the radio. I remember telling my mother but she didn't believe me so we checked on tv. I think they showed it on Newsround that evening.

MayoForSam

I distinctly remember getting on the school bus around quarter past 4 and hearing the news on the radio. One of the very strongest memories of my childhood for some reason, obviously made an impression on me.

fifilarue

very geeky first year student in UCG-heard it on the radio in the basement restaurant (anyone remember Radio 2?)-scooted home and watched it on tv-mostly remember the expressions on faces of Christa McAuliffe's parents, her mother especially. I saw her being interviewed beforehand and she was so buzzed up about it. Tragic.

djhaxman

I was 10 at the time, at home, playing snooker with my cousin on the small table we'd got for Christmas when my then 7 year old brother came tearing in to the room shouting "Cape Canaveral's blown up, Cape Canaveral's blown up", not understanding really what had gone on.

I'll never forget that day.

lord lucan

2 memories stick in my mind of that day. The faces of Christa McAuliffes parents,they say a picture paints a thousand words,no words were necessary,their poor faces said it all.:(

The other is the footage of Barbara Morgan,McAullifes understudy for STS-51l. She was watching from the roof of a building(maybe LCC?!) and was waving excitedly and shouting at Challenger as she tore through the cold january air. Her face when it exploded was of disbelief,much like every other person watching on.:(

Beeker

lord lucan wrote: »

2 memories stick in my mind of that day. The faces of Christa McAuliffes parents,they say a picture paints a thousand words,no words were necessary,their poor faces said it all.:(

The other is the footage of Barbara Morgan,McAullifes understudy for STS-51l. She was watching from the roof of a building(maybe LCC?!) and was waving excitedly and shouting at Challenger as she tore through the cold january air. Her face when it exploded was of disbelief,much like every other person watching on.:(

Yes Barbara Morgan was on the LCC roof at the time, what a shock it must have been for her. It's great that years later she became an astronaut and flew on the Shuttle on flight STS 118 in 2007.

Koloman

Cartoon_Head wrote: »

I think they showed it on Newsround that evening.

That's where I saw it first as well. I was about 11 and just doing my homework with the TV on in the background when the BBC's Newsround came on and broke the story.

I think it was the first time in my life when I had been truly shocked by a news story on the TV. It's one of those "Where, where you?" moments like 9/11 or JFK's assassination.

Can't believe its 24 years ago!

cyrusdvirus

i remember being in the local shops. heard it on the radio..i THINK (but cannot be certain) 2fm broke into one of the songs to announce it, or else straight after that particular song had finished. ran home to see what they meant. (I was 10 at the time, so wanted to see if it was a launch pad explosion or what.)

Yeah Cartoon_Head, John Craven's newsround were the first to broadcast pictures of it over this side of the atlantic, there was no 24 hour news channels in those days.

I remember challenger being the first space craft i had seen. The year before she had been in orbit and was plainly visible from ireland. There was some news thing about it, dunno why, but that was why i had a special affinity for Challenger.

dbran

Hi

Yes I will always remember it.

John Cravan's Newsround announcing it first up. I even think it was done as a sort of a news flash....and do you remember a young Phillip Schofield was doing Childrens BBC at the time?

It was definately a watershed in Space exploration and NASA has never fully recovered.

Before then, with Voyager 2 making its closest approach to Uranus that week you really thought that nothing could hold us back. Alas how wrong it all turned out to be.


dbran

murphyme2010

I watched it on the UTV news after coming home from school.

They used to have about 10 secs of whatever was news of the day before starting the broadcast. After 20 secs of the launch with no commentry I knew something bad was about to happen.

Michael.

ynotdu

gatecrash wrote: »

i remember being in the local shops. heard it on the radio..i THINK (but cannot be certain) 2fm broke into one of the songs to announce it, or else straight after that particular song had finished. ran home to see what they meant. (I was 10 at the time, so wanted to see if it was a launch pad explosion or what.)

Yeah Cartoon_Head, John Craven's newsround were the first to broadcast pictures of it over this side of the atlantic, there was no 24 hour news channels in those days.

I remember challenger being the first space craft i had seen. The year before she had been in orbit and was plainly visible from ireland. There was some news thing about it, dunno why, but that was why i had a special affinity for Challenger.

I have no memory of the day gatecrash,just the shocked tones from people i know who remember the day.
It seems to me that a civilion and especially a woman{not Me being sexist,just the way people thought then},or simply that people thought the STS was infallible? i just dont know.
Strangely though even if the accident had not happened Challenger is my favourite name of all the Orbiters and i really dont know why!