Slipping the surly bonds...

On 28 Jan 1986, I was acting in my capacity as the NCOIC of the El Paso Frequency Surveillance Station, USACC, Ft. Bliss, Texas.

Our mission was to provide telemetry repeater services for NASA Johnson Space Center (Houston), which was monitoring and anticipating takeover control of the Challenger mission, designated STS 51-L.

At 0939 hours MST (1139 hours EST), every one of our telemetry monitors went flatline. We of course thought that we had suffered a system-wide malfunction, so we immediately started equipment diagnostics protocols.

After approximately 5 minutes, our phones started ringing, and we learned that our computers were functioning properly.

...

25 years ago, it was a shock. Today, the anniversary brings sadness. I salute those space heroes.

:major

 

I too remember that day. And like 9/11 and the Kennedy assasination, I remember where I was and what I was doing.

It's strange how the mind can so firmly recall tragedies. I have no idea what I had for supper two days ago.

 

I still can't watch the footage to this day but my stupid brain plays it up anyways. May they R.I.P.

 

I don't remember the incident first hand but I've watch the the footage and documentaries on the footage hundreds of times.

Its almost worse now because of hindsight,you can see the gas leaking from the SRB after launch and you can't warn them or do anything about it.

A terrible waste.

 

So do I - in both cases.

Strange, I was in a World History class when JFK was shot and suddenly a radio broadcast
was piped in over the intercom system.

Many times I have thought about the look on the faces of the teacher's parents when the shuttle blew.
I also vaguely remember an interview by Tom Brokaw with Judy Resnik when he asked her about friends who
objected to her career choice as space flight was too dangerous.
Her reply was, "Well, then they wouldn't be my friends".

The real tragedy is that the lead engineer at Morton Thiokol told the company directors Not to approve the launch,
but they decided to give the OK, presumably so they would not lose the contract.
Then the engineer called NASA and Begged them not to launch.

I have always thought that there was a lot of undisclosed political pressure to proceed with the launch.
NASA was way behind schedule for launching military based satellites and I suspect some were related to the so called 'Star Wars' project.
Congress had cut funding for the shuttle project at least three times during it's development and there were no other large boosters still available.

It just made me sick and angry.
The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster @ Enggineering.com

 

I was only 10 yrs old in 1986 but I remember that I was home with my brothers because of a snow day and can remember watching the coverage on TV. I can remember the morning of 9/11 with creepy detail. Just now I tried to remember what I had for lunch TODAY and it took me a minute.

 

I was pulling out of a Ponderosa parking lot in Indianapolis. My first wife and I were going to a mall for something - I don't recall what. Some repair item - and we almost didn't go.

But we did, and I remember how quiet it was there, even though it was crowded. Where you would normally hear the animated buzz of hundreds of voices, we heard the shuffling of feet as people walked to and fro about their business. Here and there a low murmer could be heard, coming from groups of people crowded around a TV monitor displaying the latest news of the tragedy.

God bless the crews of Apollo 1, Challenger, and Columbia - indeed all those of every nation that take great risk to advance the fields of human knowledge and understanding so the rest of us can lead better, safer lives. We should all try hard to be worthy of such sacrifice.