when i first saw the columbia disaster, one of the first things that came into my mind was the challenger disaster.  I still remember it very well.

I was at my house waiting for the school bus, and my mother was with me getting ready to work.  We sat there and watch, everything looked all right.  I heard a lot about Christa McAuffin being the first teacher in space, my teacher had plans to show her teachings during Science class.  We (me and mom) talked about it, telling me "It must be interesting going up to space."

Well, the crew got on the ship and the ship took off, we didn't say anything while the ship was on the air, then all of the sudden it exploded.  My mother said "oh my god".  I was stunned, i can't believe what just happened.  Even at a young age I realized that the crew was dead, but I was still shocked that it happened, one my dreams was to be an astronaut.

Finally the school bus came, I told everyone what just happened, no one believed me until we got to the school.  My teacher with a disappointed look in her face said "Class, for those who didn't see, something very terrible happened today."  She then told the class about the shuttle incident and then we talked about it for about a good hour or so.  

The Challenger disaster is one that i'll never forget, nor will the Columbia disaster, since I knew one of the astronauts

Kalpana, I'll miss you  :'(

I was at work. We had a t.v. in the conference room next to my office. For lunch time, a few people would go in there to watch the soaps as they ate lunch. That one day, someone came into my office and said "The Challenger exploded!" I thought they were joking (at least I was HOPING they were). We all ran into the conference room and sat there glued to the t.v. I was hoping that they somehow survived it even though I knew there was no possibility.

There was one time, I can't remember if it was before or after that. I was living in San Antonio at the time. The shuttle frequently came to town and landed at Kelly A.F.B. It was usually a media circus so we always knew when it was coming to town. This one time, however, I don't recall hearing about it. I went to the grocery store and just got out of my car and was walking toward the store. I looked up and there was the shuttle. It was right there. I could almost reach out and touch it. I wish that I had my camera that day. It would have been a great shot. I'm not too sure which one I saw.

Now, Columbia as Challenger will always live in my heart as well as the lives that were lost on both disasters.




Cat