Remembering the Challenger Explosion

Shuttle Challenger Explodes



Ronald Reagan's Remarks on the Challenger Shuttle Explosion




A portrait of the Shuttle Challenger crew in 1986

  The Space Shuttle Challenger explodes shortly after lifting off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, FL.

(Fox News January 28, 2011)  Hundreds gathered at NASA's launch site today to mark the 25th anniversary of the Challenger explosion, receiving words of hope from the widow of the space shuttle's commander.  The cold outdoor ceremony drew space agency managers, former astronauts, past and present launch directors, family and friends of the fallen crew--and schoolchildren who weren't yet born when the space shuttle carrying a high school teacher by the name of Christa McAuliffe from Concord, N.H. erupted in the sky.  The accident took place on January 28, 198 just 73 seconds into flight.  It killed all seven on board including McAuliffe. 

June Scobee Rodgers, the widow of Challenger's commander, Dick Scobee, urged the crowd to "boldly look to the future" not only in space travel, but in space and science education.  She was instrumental in establishing the Challenger Center for Space Science Education.  "The entire world knew how the Challenger crew died," she said.  "We wanted the world to know how they lived and for what they were risking their lives."  Rodgers and NASA's space operations chief, Bill Gerstenmaier, placed a memorial wreath of red, white and blue-tinted carnations at the base of the Space Mirror Memorial.  The 42-foot-tall gleaming mirrored slab of granite bears the names of all 24 astronauts killed in the line of duty over the years--17 of those in U.S. spacecraft. 

At the high school where McAuliffe taught, special assemblies were held Friday in her honor.  Anniversary events also took place at Challenger Learning Centers across the country.  The silver anniversary comes as NASA is winding down the space shuttle program.  The fleet will be retired after three more flights this year to the International Space Station.

I can recall the day the shuttle Challenger exploded.  I was in the eighth grade.  We were in science class.  It was an earth science class.  The teachers turned on the television so we could watch the Challenger being launched into space.  It was a matter of seconds when the Challenger exploded once launched into space.  It was a very sad time.  The teacher even allowed us a time for silent prayer following the Challenger explosion.  I do appreciate the sacrifice the Challenger astronauts made.  It was tragic that it cost them their lives.  I can remember back on February 1, 2003 when space shuttle Columbia exploded and how the nation mourned over that tragedy.  Just like our soldiers in the military, we should always remember the shuttle astronauts that lost their lives in both space shuttle explosions.