40 years ago today on January 28th 1986 marks when The Space Shuttle Challenger tragically took place taking the lives of all 7 members on board and one of them was teacher Christa McAuliffe ❤️🕊️🙏
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/40-years-after-the-space-shuttle-challenger-disaster-spaceflight-remains-far-from-routine
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NASA: Need Another Seven Astronauts
NGL, I was 27 at the time, and I cried openly in the pub watching it happen.
There was just something wholly *unfair* to it.
Her black curly hair her smile will be forever on my mind. I was a young man back then, almost an old man now, but I remember this very vividly.
RIP to all those brave souls.
Watched it live from a control room at KTXH-TV in Houston with a group of parents whose kids were part of the Teacher In Space program. Still a huge watershed moment in my life and why I joined NASA a year and a half later.
Francis R. Scobee: Mission Commander
Michael J. Smith: Pilot
Judith A. Resnik: Mission Specialist
Ronald E. McNair: Mission Specialist
Ellison S. Onizuka: Mission Specialist
Gregory B. Jarvis: Payload Specialist
Christa McAuliffe: Payload Specialist (Teacher in Space)
RIP
And came this close to killing Big Bird.
So I was in primary school at the time. At recess, kid comes up to me and says “The space shuttle blew up.” I responded with “Ya right, did aliens do it” I did not believe him. When I got home that afternoon my mom called me into the family room and told me it actually happened. Then I saw the footage.
I still remember the feeling of being sad and shocked, and also feeling terrible that I thought the kid at school was trying to play a stupid joke.
This was an even greater tragedy, because it could have been avoided, if those in control had listened to the engineers, who advised launching in such cold weather.