(no subject)

[angelchicken]

Okay, so I haven't actually seen anything about this in other peoples journals, and I think it's because most of us (us being the peeps on my flist) were pretty young when it happened and so our memories are quite vague or possibly don't exist at all because we were not born yet (looks at beerbad). But basically, where I'm going with this is that today is the 20th anniversary of the Challenger explosion (which, apparently, wasn't so much an explosion as it was a breaking apart in flight, but I really think that's splittling hairs and means very little to anyone who isn't working for NASA or a pyrotechnics freak).

And I am actually really surprised at the absolute lack of recognition it's getting. None of the major New York papers had anything on it (well, I didn't actually look inside the Times. Just on the cover) and even the websites seem to be burying it. And I'm not saying it should be a cover story, but, well, it was a really huge event. And it was nationally devestating- the whole country is watching as a teacher - a civilian teacher - is going into space. It will be incredible! Schools will pipe in feeds. People actually cared.

I, for all of me 'we need to remember'-ing, remember very little. I was nine. And I remember hearing about it, but I didn't really know what it meaned. I remember Punky Brewster wanted to be an Astronaut and then the Challenger exploded, but she still wanted to go into space. And I know that even now, twenty years later, I can't watch a replay of the footage without feeling it physically.

So I just wanted to say hey. It's today. And terrible heartbreaking day for the space program. And apparently not that much of a lesson learned, though that may just be the conspiracy theorists talking. But Tuesday is the three year anniversary of Columbia.


Also, my feet hurt.

Comments

[ghoulchick.livejournal.com]

I remember it vividly. I was in 8th grade. I had just come out of algebra, and overheard some kids talking about it in the hall - that they'd just heard that Challenger had exploded. I was overwhelmed and upset, and went home "sick." I just felt like I had to be home. It felt too big for me to wander through the rest of my day at school.

I watched the explosion what seemed like a thousand times. There was talk from news folks of whether or not there were survivors, and I remember watching the debris very carefully, not understanding how anyone could think there was even a remote chance of one of those specks being a living person. I did worry that some of the specks could be body parts, but I still looked carefully, despite myself.

To this day, it's like Pavlov's dogs... when I see footage of the explosion, I start to tear up. I remember obsessively imagining what it must have been like to be up there. Did they know it was about to explode? Were they scared? Did it hurt? And I remember how personal it felt... one of them was a teacher. The whole world seemed to be watching, and I knew the families were watching. How horrible it must have been to watch your mom or dad up there, and see the shuttle explode.

And I remember how unfair it felt... for all those people to dream of going, and this be the result. How they'd probably never let another teacher go up there, ever again. I cried a lot.

[angelchicken.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean about the Pavlovian reaction. It's stunning and horrifying and the only thing I can think to compare it to would be the 9/11 attacks or the Oklahoma City bombings. *hugs* I knew so little of what was happening but I knew it was big and it was nationally devestating. It still seems unreal.

[dionneshea.livejournal.com]

I'm ashamed to say I had forgotten. I do remember it though. I was in 3rd grade and it was my best friend's birthday. His birthdays followed a steady tradition of being bad days for him (broken limbs, dead pets, etc.) and what I remember is wanting to cry when it was announced that it had blown up and looking to Trevor and seeing this look of devastation on his face. And guilt. And walking home after school he confessed that he felt responsible because bad stuff always happened on his birthday so somehow it was his fault.

I just couldn't help but wonder if they were scared. If they knew and had time to panic before it exploded. Because that would be the worst. It wouldn't be good if they didn't know but it would be infinitely better than if they did. I still wonder sometimes.

I can't believe I forgot.

[angelchicken.livejournal.com]

I had forgotten, too, until a few days ago. And I was *stunned* that it had been 20 years. Poor Trevor. What a horrible thing to feel when you are little. I can't even think about if the crew was aware of what was happening without feeling sick. Because that would be just about the worst thing ever. I still can't believe it happened. I still feel like a little kid when I hear about it- stuff like that doesn't happen so someone can fix it.

[vampyreangel.livejournal.com]

Trevor's birthday problems put me in mind of Buffy Birthdays... i hope someone thought to mention to poor Trevor when he was little that it wasn't his fault... but then i really can't say much i feel the same way about visiting people in the hospital because the only times i have ever visited anyone in the hospital with in 5 days they are dead including when i went to visit my mother who died that same afternoon after being pronounced 'cured' by the dr during my visit...

[kariyaki.livejournal.com]

We listen to the radio and work and the DJs were talking about the 20th anniversary of the Challenger tragedy. I was in 5th grade and we were watching it on TV. Talk about horrifying -- we were all just sitting there with our jaws agape, including the teacher.

And I remember it vividly even though it's been years since I've seen the footage. Lots of smoke, a piece flying off here, a piece flying off there. I think I'll stop now, I'm getting depressed.

[fenwic.livejournal.com]

I remember the date because it's my cousin's birthday. So every year, I think of him and of Christa McAuliffe. I honestly don't think I would, otherwise.

But I do remember exactly where I was when it happened. Reagan was president, and I was a freshman in college. (Yes, I'm old.) I was doing business calc homework in a big study room that had a TV high up in a corner. We'd gotten blase about space travel, but there was a civilian on board, so people were paying attention. Kids were watching at school. You couldn't tell at first what happened, and even after they confirmed it, it just felt like a big mistake. It's weird, but I have to admit that twenty years later, it still feels very surreal.

[katesti.livejournal.com]

I remember that Punky Brewster episode, though since I was five when it happened, I must have caught it in reruns or syndication or something. I remember being really scared, because my mom was a teacher, and I somehow had decided that she was magically going to end up in space and die just like Christa.

Did I mention that I was five?

I did see a piece about the anniversary on the website for the Minneapolis StarTribune, though, so it's not totally buried.

[vampyreangel.livejournal.com]

i remember seeing the replay on tv in class and then being sent home early and i was born in 1971 and my husband remembers about the same and he was born in 1970... i think back then we had enough things we as a nation were trying to 'remember' that we didn't really latch on to this one especially since most of us had nothing but bad experiences with teachers as children...

[beerbad.livejournal.com]

Heyyyy!! I'll be 19 on Tuesday ya know! I'm not thaaaaat young ;)