ADVERTISEMENT

Challenger Explosion

In the dentist office getting my regular checkup. Was too young to really understand what was happening.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GOHOX69
Was in eighth grade and we used to walk home for lunch. I either found out at home, or someone else found out at home and told me on the way back, I don't remember exactly, I just remember when we broke for lunch none of us knew, and when we returned from lunch we all knew and it's all anyone could talk about.
 
We were living in Denver. Some friends and I were on our morning break, taking a walk. We were told as we walked back into our work area. Of course we were shocked. When the bosses heard about it, they put a TV in the lunch room and allowed people to go watch some of the coverage.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GOHOX69
Good day to remember that we should always allow science and scientists to be questioned.

 
36 years ago today. Where were you when it exploded? I was in High School in Government class. May the 7 astronauts rest in peace.
Standing out in the parking lot at school with my class looking up in the sky. Was on a small handheld radio and heard the whole thing (while watching it explode above).
 
  • Wow
Reactions: GOHOX69
The one thing I’m gleaning from this thread is the median age of HROT is older than I thought. Oh and I was a 5th grader. The magnitude of it didn’t really hit me until later.
 
I was on a business trip to Dallas. It happened about time I landed, because when I turned on the radio in my rental car it had just happened minutes before and they were trying to sort it out.

The thing I remember most of all, however, is later watching video of McAuliffe's parents watching as it exploded. The mixed look of confusion and anguish as they suspected what had happened but still weren't positive was painful to see.
 
Last edited:
The one thing I’m gleaning from this thread is the median age of HROT is older than I thought. Oh and I was a 5th grader. The magnitude of it didn’t really hit me until later.
I was in 5th grade too. I remember the tvs being rolled into each room. Consequently those were the same tvs rolled into the rooms when Iowa made the tourney and when my sister's classmate's brother was on the Price is Right.
 
I was seated about 20 feet from where I am right now, in the conference room at my office. I was just out of college, doing an in-house seminar to gear up for tax season. Our receptionist came in & interrupted the meeting to let us know about the explosion. Went outside, looked east. Sky was crystal clear that day, other than the launch trail, which was obviously different than all of the other had been.
 
6th grade history teacher told us. Don't really remember it being a big impact on the school day. Lost my first grandparent to cancer the next day, so the two will always be linked in my mind.
 
  • Like
Reactions: IACub and GOHOX69
This thread is teaching me there are lots of old people on HROT. I knew @LuteHawk was old when he said he picked up a violin and started playing as the Titanic sank, but I didn't know this many people on HROT qualified for Social Security.
 
  • Love
Reactions: GOHOX69
I remember it well. I was on the couch in my apartment at Lakeside and I was running a fever of about 102 degrees and working on my term paper for my Environmental Stress (Psychology course) for Prof. Baron. I had the TV on CNN mostly for background noise and was half watching the shuttle launch live. I couldn't believe my eyes when it happened, I thought I was delirious from the fever. I turned the TV off a few minutes later as I just could not stomach the coverage anymore. Just terrible.
 
  • Like
Reactions: IACub
6th Grade, we had the TV on, when it exploded the whole class ran to the window not realizing we wouldn't be able to see it from Iowa. I remember the dumb kid in class saying "It couldn't have blown up, there was enough fuel in that thing to blow up the entire country."
 
  • Like
Reactions: win4jj
I was in the military stationed at Fort Campbell Kentucky. We were actually on a deployment to fort Bragg North Carolina. Backstory, I was maybe the worst soldier in the history of the United States Army. If you had to do X to get by, I tried really hard to do it at X- 10%. I was in trouble for something. I think I had not woken up for my shift on time or something similar. Anyway, I was waiting To get my butt chewed but the platoon sergeant told me to GTFO of there because he wanted to head out to watch the news.
 
3rd grade watching live in class. We watched it all day in class.

Instantly put an end to the Chicago Bears hysteria from their Superbowl win and insane popularity.
 
ADVERTISEMENT