I was 10 years old.  I can't believe it's been 20 years. 

Remember what you thought of "20 years ago" back in 1986?  (referring to the 60s)
 

I was 9 years old. I was in like 3rd grade or something like that...and I remember at school, they made us sit down in front of a TV to watch this tragedy...it was very sad. :\'(

I was also 9 and I remember it though I have to admit I thought it happened 1985 already?

I was 16.  Supposedly at school but actually not.

I was 10 years old at the time, I would have to say, that this is one of the most saddest moments of all time.  :\'(

I was 16 too. I didn't even know about the disaster until some of my friends came during lunch hour and told me.

I was 9 1/2 (10 a few months later) and in the 4th grade. I saw it on tv with my classsroom.

In my Tangent 1986, 14

I was 9. I don't remember for certain, but I wanna say our teachers let us a see a replay of the explosion --not the live broadcast of the shuttle launch. They probably wanted to set it up for us and try to explain beforhand what we were going to see. In any case, I don't think any of us in class watching at that time really understood the magnitude of the situation. We knew it was bad, sure...but it was hard to imagine that the shuttle crew had practically died in front of us.

It's hard to believe it's been twenty years.   

I  was 18,a senior in highschool, and I remember watching it in Homeroom on TV, that morning. We didn't realize at first that those fireworks sparks weren't supposed to happen. I'll never forget that image.

Remember what you thought of "20 years ago" back in 1986?  (referring to the 60s)
 


Good point. We're far enough removed from the 80s now that many kids probably see it just as distant and irrelevant to them as we viewed the 60s. 

Good point. We're far enough removed from the 80s now that many kids probably see it just as distant and irrelevant to them as we viewed the 60s. 



That's truly sad.  To even remember the littlest bit of the '80s today you'd have to at least 19 years old.  Even the '90s are before the memory of most single-digit age people and vague to younger teens.

Good point. We're far enough removed from the 80s now that many kids probably see it just as distant and irrelevant to them as we viewed the 60s. 



The '00s are in a way even more distant; as the '80s centered around the middle of the decade while the '60s were all about the late '60s.  Even in the '90s, the '60s and '70s were the "retro decades", not the '80s, at least until 1999 or so.

I do think the '80s are more like the '00s than they are like the '60s, at least in terms of mindset.  Technologically, they're probably closer to the '60s.

To get back on topic: I was 19 at the time, and working for a living so I didn't see the live broadcast. But that didn't mean I was prepared for the shock of those images... I tried to figure out what it would be like: one moment you're working in this spaceship, floating around, next thing - boom! Gone...  :-\\ It still is incomprehensible to me.

I was 24, I heard about it on the radio on my lunch break.

I was 13 and in I believe the 8th grade at the time. I still can't believe it has been 20 years since it happened.

15 1/2

Iheard about it at the end of our biology final. a messenger announced it to the class, and a stoner at the back of the class said "Ha ha!"
too mucj PCP

2

Even before 1997 is a blur to me...  ::)

What I also remember of that day was that my 5th grade homeroom teacher was reading us a story.  On certain days, she would pick one of those short novels for kids and early teens and start reading them to us.  I can't remember what story it was, it was probably something I had already read since I was such an avid reader back then and today still too.  (But I'm sure it was "The Wrinkle in Time" or "The Wishgiver", something of such.)

She was called away from us, and then she came back with this horrified look on her face, and said "the space shuttle exploded".  I still remember thinking that the shuttle exploded in space, I didn't realize until I saw the footage that it exploded on liftoff.


EDIT: It's kinda weird that we are still using the same old space shuttles today, back then I would have figured we would have something much more futuristic by "2006".

Turning one that year.

just want to say that the news nets focus on Christa McAuliffe in
their "Challenger after 20" coverage is kind of unsettling - they
concentrate on her and then almost as an after-thought say "Oh and six other
people died too".

Seven

it's sad, but I'd be willing to bet that most people can't name the other victims. Here's to the memory of the 7 victims , including Christa McAuliffe.
Gregory Jarvis
Ronald McNair
Judith Resnick
Ellison Onizuka
Francis Scobee
Michael Smith
Christa McAuliffe

just want to say that the news nets focus on Christa McAuliffe in
their "Challenger after 20" coverage is kind of unsettling - they
concentrate on her and then almost as an after-thought say "Oh and six other
people died too".


Yeah, I wondered about this even as a 10 year old.  I guess it's because since she was a teacher, people thought that kids would be scarred or traumatized by her death or something of the sort.  Not to be unfeeling, but I think the media overestimated the importance of Christa McAuliffe to the children of America.  I don't remember feeling any worse for Christa McAuliffe then I did for the other astronauts. 

I think only the kids who had her as a teacher were messed up by her death.  For the rest of us, sure she was a teacher, but we didn't know her.  And if I remember correctly, the kids she taught were high school aged at the time, not young elementary school aged children.  Makes you wonder what the kids she taught are up to today? 

I was 26 and living in Pleasantville at the time.

it's sad, but I'd be willing to bet that most people can't name the other victims. Here's to the memory of the 7 victims , including Christa McAuliffe.
Gregory Jarvis
Ronald McNair
Judith Resnick
Ellison Onizuka
Francis Scobee
Michael Smith
Christa McAuliffe


I remember Ronald McNair b/c he was maybe the first African-American astronaut to go into space. But yeah, it bothered me (even at that age) that they focused on Christa McAuliffe more. I'm sure it pissed off the other families as well.

I was in my 20s and at work. The room next to my office was a conference room that had a t.v. Several people used to go in there to eat lunch and watch the soaps. Someone came into my office and told us about it. We all went into the other room to watch.





Cat

I was 13 and 8 months. I remember waking up and turning the TV on. The disaster happened over night here in Australia. I remember being half asleep and watching the footage of the shuttle launching. Id not actually heard the voice over...I watched as the Challenger flew into the sky, thinking it was a replay of an ordinary launch.

Then, in a split second, the Challenger was gone, and the 7 souls continued their journey into the heavens alone.

I remember sitting there, stunned. I turned the sound up louder and asked my Mum if she knew about this. She told me she heard it earlier this morning.


I cant believe its been 20 years. I wonder if those who were 13/14 when Columbia exploded will be thinking the same as myself when confronted with the fact that its been 20 years since the 2003 Columbia disaster?





AN

I had just graduated so I was about 19.
Christa McAuliffe was an excellent teacher, she cared about her students and loved teaching.

23 1/2, in the USAF, remember watching in our breifing room and a few seconds before thinking "that doesn't look right".

I was 3 1/2 years old, and really don't remember it, but I remember people talking about it a few years later. My brother remembers watching it in class (as he was almost 7 years old at the time).

Having just turned 4, I have fair memories of late 1985/early 86, but I don't recall this when it happened. Several years down the road, I was familiarized with it when I started regularly watching TV and such.

I too, have always noticed the media focus on Christa McAffule over the others when the disaster came up. It was always publicized that she was a "schoolteacher" - that just sounds like it would be what you'd call an Elementary school teacher (I didn't know it was HS until I read this thread all the way through), so I assumed that may have been why. (It also sounds like a young name too, I got the picture she was definitely under 30.)

But, news does tend to be "one sided" on occasion. Of course I'm not deemphasizing what happened with her, but they all had families and loved ones who lost them, so it's an equal tragedy.

I was 14, turning 15 the next month.  Sitting in Algebra class, the principal came over the loudspeaker to let us know what happened.  He was crying.

I was 9, we were watching the live broadcast in my 4th grade class room.   It was very tragic, as were some of the dumb jokes that followed in the days after.... ie: what does NASA stand for...

I was 8 years old. I remember my mother was crying, It all was really sad.

I was 9, we were watching the live broadcast in my 4th grade class room.   It was very tragic, as were some of the dumb jokes that followed in the days after.... ie: what does NASA stand for...


Is it a reflection of me that I can still remember the punchline?  :-[

Its definately no reflection n you. I still remember the punchlines of other jokes about the disaster which floated around at the time. Making jokes is a very important way for people to normalise the abnormal. Sure, they were in bad taste, but they served their purpose.




AN

right - and despite latter day claims ("that wasn't even funny in '86" someone said at the time of Columbia) those black jokes were widely spread and widely popular at the time of Challenger as a way of normalising the abnormal and paradoxically helping people cope with the sitation - for whatever reason some people use dark humour as a coping mechanism

I was 13 and a half.  I remember more of the weeks before than I do of the actual disaster.  A lot of Christa McAuliffe coverage. 

I was not shellshocked; looking back, I think that was because of my parents.  My mom got really emotional when John Lennon, Karen Carpenter, and even Harry Chapin died.  She also sat me down when "Goodnight Saigon" by Billy Joel came out and explained in a very serious voice what it was about, line by line (my dad is a Vietnam vet).  And my dad was really into the "no nukes" thing and told me all about what a nuclear explosion would do.  So I guess to a degree I had become inured to the idea of tragedy, at least until 9/11.

I was 3 1/2, but don't remember it at all. I don't know why, though, because I remember stuff that happened before that. I do remember that Punky Brewater episode, where she watches it live, in her classroom, though. But I think maybe that was a rerun a few years later.

The Punky Brewster episode covered it in Season 2, so it was about the same time. Good ole Punky! She really taught us how to cope with anything!

The Punky Brewster episode covered it in Season 2, so it was about the same time. Good ole Punky! She really taught us how to cope with anything!



I remember that episode.




Cat

The Punky Brewster episode covered it in Season 2, so it was about the same time. Good ole Punky! She really taught us how to cope with anything!


thanks for aging me, damn it! lol

I was 13 and a half.  I remember more of the weeks before than I do of the actual disaster.  A lot of Christa McAuliffe coverage. 


The media acted like children lost Captain Kangaroo on that shuttle flight. 

I'm not trying to be cold or cruel, but since the Christa McAuliffe subject was brought, I have to say that I have always felt she got too much coverage.  Even when I WAS a child back in 1986.

1986 was a year for bad jokes.  Anyone remember all the Ethiopian jokes that used to go around back then? The same jokes were repeated in 1992, but then it was for Somalians.

This is my first post. :) I remember the Challenger disaster. I was in the 2nd grade and we got to go home from school early. None of us knew why but all the teachers were crying and telling us that we would remember the day for the rest of our lives a la the Kennedy assassination. Not too sure about the last part but I do remember being oh so happy that I got to go home and play Barbies. I'm sure I'll go to hell for that one. ;D

8) I think I was 20,,, my memory is hazy from then but I married at 17 and I was living in a house that my grandmother rented to me, I was watching when it happened and I was soo freaked out! you just thought anything like that could never happen.. and I was thinking about the teacher Christa McAutliff that was on board and that her class was watching on tv and how they must have felt, not to mention the famalies of the others, I cried...

This is one of those events in our lifetime that we will never forget. You will never forget what you were doing at that time. For me, I was 12 and in my english class in the 6th grade. A school aide came inside the class room with a note a gave it to the teacher. He announced to the class what the note was about. He turned on the TV and watched this tragedy. Wow, 20 years later, time flies by so fast.

Was 15. :D

I was 9, we were watching the live broadcast in my 4th grade class room.  It was very tragic, as were some of the dumb jokes that followed in the days after.... ie: what does NASA stand for...

Ok..someone clue me in.. I never heard this joke.. What does NASA  stand for ? It's ok I can handle  gallows  humor.

This is one day I'll never forget - I was 18 and it was my first day of work at a hospital I worked at in Santa Barbara - and I spent the next 15 years there.  Ironically after I left that job in 2001 and moved to Washington my first day at a new job there was on 9/11.

Ok..someone clue me in.. I never heard this joke.. What does NASA  stand for ? It's ok I can handle  gallows  humor.


Need Another Seven Astronauts

Need Another Seven Astronauts
    :D National Aeronautics @ Space Administration  ...When I was little I wanted to be the first woman in space..now I am scared :-\\

By the way, some where wondering how old Christa McAullife was.  She was 37 years old...going on 38 when the Challenger exploded in 1986  So she was sorta young (in the sense that she was under 40), but certainly not a super young young under 30 or even under 25 year old teacher or something like that. 

It was very tragic that she and the other 6 astronauts were killled in that accident.  Very tragic indeed for all of them and their families. 

By the way, some where wondering how old Christa McAullife was.  She was 37 years old...going on 38 when the Challenger exploded in 1986  So she was sorta young (in the sense that she was under 40), but certainly not a super young young under 30 or even under 25 year old teacher or something like that. 

It was very tragic that she and the other 6 astronauts were killled in that accident.  Very tragic indeed for all of them and their families. 


Not to be insensitive, but why exactly was it big news?  The death of people is always sad, but was it the death toll or the fact that it blew up in front of their very eyes the reason it was so big?

Not to be insensitive, but why exactly was it big news?  The death of people is always sad, but was it the death toll or the fact that it blew up in front of their very eyes the reason it was so big?



I think, and I could be wrong, that it was HUGE because NASA had won the space race and noone believed it could happen. It was (and probably still is) a national institution and the astronaughts were seen as heros. Also, you mentioned that the fact that it blew up in front of their very eyes the reason it was so big?
. This is also a part of it. Not often do people get to see their hero's get killed on live TV.

Also, the teacher was the first civilian in space at the time I believe (or something like that). So it was a huge shock, and in some respects, a publicity stunt gone wrong.





AN

I think, and I could be wrong, that it was HUGE because NASA had won the space race and noone believed it could happen. It was (and probably still is) a national institution and the astronaughts were seen as heros. Also, you mentioned that . This is also a part of it. Not often do people get to see their hero's get killed on live TV.

Also, the teacher was the first civilian in space at the time I believe (or something like that). So it was a huge shock, and in some respects, a publicity stunt gone wrong.





AN


Okay I see now.  Because while any death is tragic, esp that of heroes like astronauts, the Challenger death toll of (7 i think?) is obviously dwarfed by the 9/11 attacks and of course the tsunami.  But its impact on society is comparable, although IMO nowhere close to equal.

Yeah, I didn't get why the Christa McAuliffe thing was so big ... but yeah she was a civilian.  Ah.

Didn't it shut down NASA's shuttling until 1988 or something?

Okay I see now.  Because while any death is tragic, esp that of heroes like astronauts, the Challenger death toll of (7 i think?) is obviously dwarfed by the 9/11 attacks and of course the tsunami.  But its impact on society is comparable, although IMO nowhere close to equal.

Yeah, I didn't get why the Christa McAuliffe thing was so big ... but yeah she was a civilian.  Ah.

Didn't it shut down NASA's shuttling until 1988 or something?


Yep, it did shut down the shuttle program until 1988, possibly 1989.

9/11 definately dwarfs the Challenger disaster. 9/11 actually had a devastating effect not only upon the USA, but also upon the world. I mean, here in Australia I was about to go to bed and was about to tuurn off the TV when they broke into some cruddy old show and said that a plane had hit the World Trade Center in NYC, and then we saw the 2nd plane hit, and then the people jumping, and then the buildings collapse. I am not an American, but that night (Australian time) had me in tears watching all those poor people.

After 9/11 only HUGE disasters actually made a major impact. If youll notice, the Columbia disaster was not as much a big news story as it wouldve been before 9/11. The Tsunami and Katrina are another story.






AN

Yep, it did shut down the shuttle program until 1988, possibly 1989.

9/11 definately dwarfs the Challenger disaster. 9/11 actually had a devastating effect not only upon the USA, but also upon the world. I mean, here in Australia I was about to go to bed and was about to tuurn off the TV when they broke into some cruddy old show and said that a plane had hit the World Trade Center in NYC, and then we saw the 2nd plane hit, and then the people jumping, and then the buildings collapse. I am not an American, but that night (Australian time) had me in tears watching all those poor people.

After 9/11 only HUGE disasters actually made a major impact. If youll notice, the Columbia disaster was not as much a big news story as it wouldve been before 9/11. The Tsunami and Katrina are another story.






AN


What's funny, though, is that in America (where I live), an American tragedy will get 100x the attention of a global one.  I'm not even kidding, Katrina, which had a death toll of 1,000, got like 5 times as much attention as the Pakistan quake, which killed tens of thousands.

When Hurricane (Rita, I think?) was coming the weatherman actually said he hoped it hit Mexico instead of Florida!  ;D

What's funny, though, is that in America (where I live), an American tragedy will get 100x the attention of a global one.  I'm not even kidding, Katrina, which had a death toll of 1,000, got like 5 times as much attention as the Pakistan quake, which killed tens of thousands.

When Hurricane (Rita, I think?) was coming the weatherman actually said he hoped it hit Mexico instead of Florida!  ;D


And there (almost in a nutshell) is why a lot of people have a problem with americans.

And there (almost in a nutshell) is why a lot of people have a problem with americans.


You nailed it!!! Exactly!

You nailed it!!! Exactly!


Also, I think a lot of Americans sort of half think that everywhere outside their borders is like the 19th Century basically, and always f*ed up, whereas they view America as almost disaster-free, so it's a shock when they get 3rd-worlded like in Katrina.

I was in 4th grade, sooo about 10 years old also!