From Challenger to Columbia.

[RICHARD]

Today is the 18th anniversary of the Challenger disaster.


http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/challengr.htm


Sunday is the one year anniversary of the Columbia
disaster.

[ramanth]

Thank you for posting that Richard. I remember where I was when both disasters happened.

I even got to see the memorial in person some years ago. Despite the Challenger accident, I still wanted to be an astronaut. I even spent a week and a half at Space Academy.

My respects to those brave explorers.

[Kona & Oreo's mom]

Thank you, Richard, for that link. I was one of the "schoolchildren" that President Reagan spoke about, watching the takeoff at school. I didn't hear Reagan's speech at the time, but after reading it now I wish I had.

A few months after the Columbia accident I visited DC and Arlington Cemetery. Both memorials are next to each other and the tribute is very moving.

[RICHARD]

I was asleep on the couch, I was sick from work that day when the phone rang and my friend called and told me that the shuttle (Challenger) blew up on take off......I laughed and told him he was joking-guys have a ferociously bad sense of comedy-I turned on the TV and watched the coverage...It was sad beyond belief...I remember watching Mc Auliffe's parents on the screen and how her mother buried her face in her husband's shoulder.....

The other memory I have of the accident was a news conference where a NASA official, His name is Jay Green, was answering questions. I still remember the look on his face and his hands...he had a pen or paperclip in them and he kept flipping it over and over again...He would look up, take a question and go to work-flipping, flipping, flipping....

[K9soul]

I was in school when Challenger exploded as well, and I remember it so clearly. I can't even begin to imagine being a parent who's son or daughter was on there, watching that happen... the shock of it I cannot begin to imagine. *bows head in remembrance*

[2kitties]

I was in elementary school and we were watching the launch on television.
None of us understood what was happening. I imagine it was a tough moment for our teacher to help us understand.

[lovemyshiba]

I was in fourth grade, and we weren't watching it on tv, but my teacher came into the room in tears, and had to explain to us what happened.

As for last year, the Columbia, I had walked into work to find no one up front, but everyone back by the television, because it had just happened.

My prayers to the families.

[mugsy]

I was in the Geology department at IPFW in the G100 lab room messing around with some other students and helping some students. We were all in shock. We just stood around not knowing what to do.

[CatDad]

I had not seen that before thank you for posting that link Richard.

I watched the entire event live. I was working nights at that time and I thought it would be cool to watch the shuttle lift off and then go to bed. I ended up not sleeping at all that day and I watched the news.

Both were very sad events and I'm happy to see that they have memorials for both.

[RICHARD]

Last year I was just waking up to go to work-I had picked up a side job-I desperately wanted to sleep in....

I had hit the snooze button on the radio and I heard the report on the radio that "we had lost the Columbia"...

I always made it a point to find out when and where the shuttle would land.....Here in California, when the shuttles would land at Edwards Air Force base north of the Los Angeles area, you hear the sonic booms as it makes it's way over the coast.....boom boom!!!!

This was one flight that I didn't pay too much attention to and I am glad....The news services had put out a story that the shuttle would be visible as it made it's approach to land in Florida...

All day you could feel the tension in air.....We did go to a hardware store to pick up some sprinkler parts and the place was very quiet, everyone spoke in whispers and there was no one making any kind of noise.....spooky, but at the same time nice to see the respect that everyone was treating the day with.....

[Edwina's Secretary]

Today I went to the Museum of Science and Industry. They have an original one man orbiter and an Apollo three man orbiter. Now there were courageous men! They stayed in orbit for up to 11 days! Three...side by side with barely room for a clipboard in between. NO room for ANY movement. Seated, legs out in front.

It really renewed my respect for those who dare to go where no one went before!

[RICHARD]

Originally posted by Edwina's Secretary
! They stayed in orbit for up to 11 days! Three...side by side with barely room for a clipboard in between. NO room for ANY movement. Seated, legs out in front.

No bean burritos before that trip!

Two of the most spectacular things that I was able to do was to walk thru the 747 that carries the shuttle and watching a shuttle come back to the Palmdale facility for refurbishing!

I was walking into the GF's apartment when I heard
the sound of a jet that sounded like it was straining to fly...I walked out to the front door and saw this...

http://www.nasaexplorers.com/show2_9...=01-051&gl=912


I jumped into my truck and was able to race over to the Palmdale airport just in time to see them land......

All along the street there were cars parked and people cheering and clapping.....I am not ashamed to say I drove back with tears in my eyes.....

Spectacular??? Maybe...... Breathtaking???? For Sure!!!! INCREDIBLE!!!! SIMPLY AMAZING!!!!

That was one of the best highs......

Now, I just have to make it over to Florida to watch on take off!

[Miss Meow]

Originally posted by RICHARD
No bean burritos before that trip!

Two of the most spectacular things that I was able to do was to walk thru the 747 that carries the shuttle and watching a shuttle come back to the Palmdale facility for refurbishing!

I was walking into the GF's apartment when I heard
the sound of a jet that sounded like it was straining to fly...I walked out to the front door and saw this...

http://www.nasaexplorers.com/show2_9...=01-051&gl=912

...

I had never thought about how the shuttle gets around. Now I know!

It would be mindblowing indeed to be sitting in a plane awaiting takeoff, when the next 747 in the queue has another aircraft stuck to its back!

I'll come with you to Florida; it's one of my dreams to watch a shuttle take off. All that energy being harnessed into one little lift-off - amazing

They are such brave people.

[RICHARD]

Originally posted by Miss Meow
I had never thought about how the shuttle gets around. Now I know!

It would be mindblowing indeed to be sitting in a plane awaiting takeoff, when the next 747 in the queue has another aircraft stuck to its back!

I'll come with you to Florida; it's one of my dreams to watch a shuttle take off. All that energy being harnessed into one little lift-off - amazing

They are such brave people.

If you have seen a 747 fly from a distance it looks like it moves so painfully slow.......

Piggyback like that, You feel like you can almost run as fast as it flies.....it moves s-l-o-w-l-y and the engines scream...

And the other thing that stuns you is the size of the whole setup..A 747 can be seen from aways off...your mind knows it's a huge plane.....with the shuttle on top it's MONSTROUS!!

-----------------

End of the World shuttle story..

Growing up in Southern Cal you see and hear a few things in the air, It used to be the center of air technology in the 70s, 80's and early 90's..

One thing that scares to poop out of you are earthquakes and sonic booms - the booms because you THINK they are earthquakes in the making.

Just south of Edwards Air Force Base, about 30 miles is a set of mountains that separate Los Angeles County from the beginning of the desert
area.

We had spent the day on a ride through the hills and spotted at a picnic site where we stopped to have lunch. About
20 minutes later there was a huge BOOM
what sounded like electricty bouncing around all around us.

My heart sank in my chest because I thought it was the start of an earthquake but I had never heard the 'bouncing electricity' noise......

It only took me a second to think that the world was going to end.......

As the noise echoed off into the distance I looked at my friends and they had a look on their faces that probably was the same as mine....

In unison they asked, 'What the #%8& was THAT?'

After about 10 seconds I remembered that the shuttle was scheduled to land 30 miles away....

The echoes across, and in between,the hills are something that defy description.


-------

I read somewhere that the noise of a shuttle take off kills every animal within a certain radius of
the tower.....


It is amazing that a machine like that can make so much scary noise......

[joycenalex]

those 3 astronaunts, Lt Col Grissom, Lt Col White, Lt Commander Chaffee died in a flash fire on 27 january 1967 during a training exercise. deep winter has not been kind to the space explorers, rest well brave ones, and thank you.