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Challenger...20 years later...
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| Shakka |
January 28, 1986. Do you remember where you were? It's amazing, I remember it so vividly, like it was yesterday. One of those defining moments that burns itself into your psyche forever.
I was sitting in Miss Ryals 3rd grade classroom, along with many others, eager to watch the long awaited Challenger shuttle takeoff with it's historic mission of taking the first teacher to space. Sure, none of us knew Christa McAulliffe personally, but she had become larger than life--the face of teachers across America. I think her involvement was crucial because it gave kids everywhere inspiration. Hey, if a teacher could go to space, then it gave kids everywhere hope that they too could reach for the stars.
TV's were placed in every classroom so that every child could witness the historic moment. It was downright exhilerating. But 73 seconds into that fateful flight the expressions on millions of faces turned from excitement to sheer terror and disbelief as the Challenger's leaking solid fuel tank ignited, causing a massive fireball to erupt in the morning sky. To call it anything but a cluster would not be accurate. I think the event was so wrought with raw emotion for some that children were sent home early. Teachers went home early to contemplate their own mortality. How would we get past this?
20 years later, we are still taking trips to space. To not mention the Columbia disaster of a few years ago would be shameful. But the Challenger incident is blazed in my mind so much more clearly, and seems to carry so much more significance with it.
I'm glad we chose to persevere. To not give up on our mission to explore our limits and to push to go beyond. The mission has always been dangerous, but our determination to keep pushing is admirable and courageous. Years later, a minor setback has given us even more courage. We have not let one failure close the door. Instead we remember, honor, and push on.
So here we are 20 years later. Do you remember where you were that fateful Tuesday morning? |
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| Fir3start3r |
I remember I was in school but not 'exactly' what I was doing.
I do remember when it happened however, how even we, as Canadians, were stunned (we're so proud of that ARM yea know ;))
I remember thinking, what does this mean?
It was my first life lesson that in the face of adversity, you deal with it but you also keep moving on... |
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| metalgearsolid |
| I was yet to be born; but six months later my mommy would be pushing me out. But if you really look who has had worse space accidents-its been worse-so I am thankful the guys at NASA are so good. |
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| St_Andrew |
| Yeah that was 2 months before I was born... I missed so much that early spring/winter =/ |
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| Nrg2Nfinit |
| i must have been in my kindergarden class. I dont think we watched it on TV though. I remember my dad talking about it though vaguely |
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| Renegade |
| quote: | Originally posted by Shakka
I'm glad we chose to persevere. To not give up on our mission to explore our limits and to push to go beyond. The mission has always been dangerous, but our determination to keep pushing is admirable and courageous. Years later, a minor setback has given us even more courage. We have not let one failure close the door. Instead we remember, honor, and push on. |
Wow, that was actually quite beautiful Shakka. :)
I think you're right. It's a testament to the human spirit that we, as a species, continually risk life and limb for the sake of new discoveries and I think our envoys into space mark the pinnicle of this exploratory drive. Two-hundred years before Challenger, nearly three-thousand people (half of them involuntarily) were sailing across over 10,000 miles of ocean to colonise Australia, accepting the high risk of disease or shipwreck to expand the frontiers of humanity. Throughout human history - and the First Fleet and the Challenger spacecraft are just two instances of this - people have made great, personal sacrifices to satiate the human desire to explore and expand its horizons and none made a greater sacrifice than the seven astronauts you just named. That individuals have taken such great risks in expanding the frontiers of human knowledge, I think, speaks volumes about the nature of our species.
As tragic as it was, you are quite right to say that humanity was right to persevere with its exploration of the universe to which it is inextricably bound, and I'm sure that's exactly the way these seven astronauts would have wanted it as well. I'm just hoping that I get to see a man on Mars in my lifetime. :)
| quote: | | So here we are 20 years later. Do you remember where you were that fateful Tuesday morning? |
For the record I was two, so I have absolutely no memory of this happening. I do, however, know that it would have been just my mum and I at home at that time, because - if I've got my dates right here - my dad would have been visiting his dying father in England at around then... :( |
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| h0tsweetbabyd0l |
| i was in south korea seoul waiting in some american family to discover this french couple who adopted me ....1 month later i was in france :) |
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| josh4 |
| Quick, someone play that Green Day song... |
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| Fir3start3r |
| quote: | Originally posted by metalgearsolid
^^nookie? |
[X]
Green Day doesn't do nookie dood...
Isn't the prerequite for posting in a PDD Trance Forum at least some musical knowledge? :p |
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| shaolin_Z |
Trancer-X & Ogvh5150, do you guys notice that interesting architectural feature? They're pretty obsessed huh? |
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| DrUg_Tit0 |
| quote: | Originally posted by h0tsweetbabyd0l
i was in south korea seoul waiting in some american family to discover this french couple who adopted me ....1 month later i was in france :) |
Hm, interesting, I was automatically assuming you were born in France. So where were you originally born? If you know, that is. :)
Anyway, I was 4 at the time and I have no idea what I was doing. Probably beating my old lady neighbour with a stick. I so liked doing that when I was little and she was too good to make me stop :) |
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