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re: The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded after liftoff 40 years ago today...
Posted on 1/28/26 at 1:18 pm to RollTide1987
Posted on 1/28/26 at 1:18 pm to RollTide1987
I was between classes talking to a girl on the phone. She was saying “oh my god.”
They could tell they were falling but confused.
I hope they lost consciousness from the fall before hitting.
They could tell they were falling but confused.
I hope they lost consciousness from the fall before hitting.
0
Posted on 1/28/26 at 1:27 pm to RollTide1987
I cannot watch that and not get tears in my eyes. I once saw a video of some of the astronauts parents in the stands. It broke me. They just saw their child die live. Tears me up
Posted on 1/28/26 at 1:40 pm to RollTide1987
Here's a weird bit of history associated with the disaster:
Peter Billingsley, the kid who played Ralphie in A Christmas Story, witnessed the incident from the launch viewing area. Here's an interview shortly after it occured:
Peter Billingsley, the kid who played Ralphie in A Christmas Story, witnessed the incident from the launch viewing area. Here's an interview shortly after it occured:
Posted on 1/28/26 at 1:49 pm to AUIH1
quote:
I was in my last class before graduation at AU - Calculus 162 (I stupidly put taking this class until the end). Someone stuck their head in the class and announced the Challenger had exploded. The professor immediately dismissed class. What TV for the rest of the day. Sad day!
I was in MH 264 in Parker. a Navy ROTC classmate came in late and whispered it to the ones around him.
Posted on 1/28/26 at 2:35 pm to 777Tiger
quote:
mistake was putting a civilian on board without any mission specific need to be there
I think NASA felt there was a need from a funding standpoint.
Amazingly, after not quite 5 years and 20+ launches the general public was becoming very ho-hum to the shuttle missions in general. Add that to the frequent flight delays (iirc as STS 51L Challenger was supposed to launch as the last flight of fiscal year 1985 which ended 30 September 1985), and there was talk that Congress might reduce the budget for shuttle flights. The Teacher in Space program was designed to reignite interest in the program and serve as a PR win that could be held up on Capitol Hill to maintain or increase funding.
Posted on 1/28/26 at 2:37 pm to Jmcc64
quote:
I was in MH 264 in Parker
Sad that today's Auburn student won't know the joys of trudging into Parker for class.
Posted on 1/28/26 at 4:58 pm to RollTide1987
I was doing my student teaching at Broadmoor HS and I had gone to the teacher's lounge behind the library to put my lunch in the refrigerator. On the way out, a couple of classes were watching the launch on a couple of portable TVs. I stopped to watch and we were all in shock to what we saw. Very sad day.
Posted on 1/28/26 at 5:04 pm to AUIH1
quote:What? I was in high school and nobody was watching this on TV at school. When the news broke, school went on as scheduled.
The professor immediately dismissed class.
Posted on 1/28/26 at 5:04 pm to RollTide1987
I was in the Comp Sci program at LSU, working selling computers on Florida Blvd, on a lunch break to get another Stephen King book at the EBR library on Goodwood. They had the news playing on a TV near the entrance. Unreal.
Shite, have to add the hot nurse's story: she was 17 and swimming off the dock of her house with her friend Jennifer in Cape Coral FL.
They saw the explosion.
Shite, have to add the hot nurse's story: she was 17 and swimming off the dock of her house with her friend Jennifer in Cape Coral FL.
They saw the explosion.
This post was edited on 1/28/26 at 5:08 pm
Posted on 1/28/26 at 5:43 pm to RollTide1987
Hard to believe it's been 40 years already. I was in first grade and we were watching it on tv when it happened.
Posted on 1/28/26 at 6:58 pm to ldts
Y'all know there was no one on that Shuttle, right?
Loading Twitter/X Embed...
If tweet fails to load, click here.This post was edited on 1/28/26 at 6:59 pm
Posted on 1/28/26 at 7:36 pm to Jake88
We weren’t watching it, but some random person stuck their head in the classroom and said the space shuttle had exploded. The room got silent then the professor said that was enough calculus for the day.
Posted on 1/28/26 at 7:38 pm to PJinAtl
Parker deserves a special spot in Hades!
Posted on 1/28/26 at 11:06 pm to TigerGman
quote:
I sat outside listening to WWL on the radio in my new BMW 325E, freezing my arse off
Your new BMW came without a functional heater?
Posted on 1/29/26 at 8:22 am to Allyn McKeen
quote:
My uncle was a safety engineer for NASA and wrote a detailed analysis on why the MT design was dangerous before they awarded the final contract.
I inspected several of the redesigned O-rings as a UT guy during my time with P&W. Always fun to literally have a FAA/NTSB/NASA inspector looking over your shoulder while inspecting these.
Of course, after the Challenger explosion, it was certainly a necessary evil. Really gave one a sense of pride to see your work perform flawlessly once the missions were restarted.
I was up at Tyndall AFB when the Challenger exploded as we were watching before heading to the chow hall for lunch. I distinctly remember the looks on my buddies faces as they tried to discern what had happened. I calmly expressed to them that I hoped the flight crew never knew what hit them.
To later know that the crew had survived the initial explosion and were fighting the whole say down gives me a sense of pride knowing they fought like hell to do whatever they could to try and save the ship/their crew. Pure heroism in it’s ultimate form.
You don’t find much of that anymore…
Posted on 1/29/26 at 8:25 am to Jim Rockford
quote:
Makes them even more badass to me. NASA was trying to normalize space travel, making it seen like they were getting on the bus to go downtown to the office. There's nothing normal about space travel, not then, not now.
So true...
Posted on 1/29/26 at 11:19 am to ATrillionaire
Oh c'mon man.......we can speculate can we? I like to think heaven includes everything happy and joyous. Included in that is the joy of reunion.
Be nice.
Be nice.
Posted on 1/29/26 at 11:21 am to Geaux Piggins Geaux
quote:
Peter Billingsley,
you'll shoot your eye out, kid
Posted on 1/29/26 at 2:43 pm to Jack Ruby
quote:
no one on that Shuttle
Most people never consider that possibility. Or how it might be "arranged".
YouTube - Emergency Escape Hatch
Posted on 1/29/26 at 2:52 pm to GeorgePaton
quote:
I like to think heaven includes everything happy and joyous. Included in that is the joy of reunion.
Sure. But I'd like to think I'm greeted in Heaven by the open arms of Jesus Christ. Not The Gipper ditching in front of him --- with all due respect.
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