Shocking Facts About the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster

Every American who lived through the '80s remembers the Challenger explosion. But what happened to cause the famous national tragedy? How could such a catastrophe happen when NASA so meticulously checks and double checks all the equipment at their disposal?
Even with all the risks, astronauts gladly put their lives on the line for decades in the pursuit of reaching for the stars. The Challenger tragedy was not the first or the last catastrophe to befall NASA. The exploratory organization has not forgotten the sacrifices of the seven crewmembers who died on January 28, 1986: Francis "Dick" Scobee, Mike Smith, Judy Resnik, Ellison Onizuka, Ron McNair, Greg Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe.
#SpaceshuttleChallenger #NASA #WeirdHistory

[@twosocks9002]

No one should ever be able to “overrule”engineers.

[@FurnitureFan]

Agreed, engineers should have had a veto to launch a couple of hours later.

[@thunderbird1921]

It was the second time too! They overruled them in mid-1985 as well.

[@jockoharpo2622]

Judge Judith Schndlin can!

[@jockoharpo2622]

You need a check up from the neck up!

[@Dizinii]

Reagan wanted to address the astronauts live (in space) during his state of the nation address. That's why they felt pressured to launch. It was mentioned in an old documentary but hasn't come up in subsequent features since. I guess it's un american to blame a president

[@swagalicious117]

if the guys who built it say its going to blow up, ITS GOING TO BLOW UP!!!

[@karenedmiston5964]

One of the worse tragic accidents in the history of America. Especially because of Christa.

[@xynzlollie]

NASA was at fault 100% they had a chance to stop it and delay but they didn't choose too

[@mcgannahanskyjellyfetti6854]

Christa McAuliffe had BLUE eyes... ...one eye BLEW one direction and the other eye BLEW the other direction!

[@bleachingiants1]

@@mcgannahanskyjellyfetti6854 😐🤔😔😂😂😂😂🤣😂😂😂😂😂😭

[@ElusiveLabs]

Id hit it

[@carriekoehler8619]

My mom was a finalist for the challenger. I was a senior in high school at the time. I thank God every day that she wasn't chosen.

[@semoneg2826]

Oh..wow

[@TheGraduate702]

Was she the back up?

[@kaleimaile]

I was glad that my mom never applied for the challenger. I was in the 8th grade when it happened.

[@tatianaromonov1416]

is she still with us? glad she lost too!.. for you how frightening

[@juniordixie9489]

My teacher was a finalist for MS

[@michelleb7399]

For those who weren’t around, the Teacher In Space initiate was HUGE. My uncle (an elementary teacher) and several teachers I knew applied to be in this. It was a really big deal. Christa McAuliffe became a household name. EVERYONE anticipated this and many, many schools halted everything else to show this live. It was truly a national tragedy. For us young Gen X’er, it was the first shared tragedy we knew.

[@rucianapollard7098]

Right ✅️ To us, this was like the Kennedy assassination to our parents.

[@RJERRh0ads4everr]

It was huge. You nailed it😢

[@jellybeanz3614]

Even in the midst of tragedy there is hope and it’s in Jesus alone! John 14:27, Jesus says He gives us peace and 1 John 4:10 days God loves us even we don’t love Him back. Turn to Jesus, He has open arms for you!

[@jockoharpo2622]

I wasn't around...I was a square.

[@jockoharpo2622]

Did you see all of the coincidences coming out? Very interesting!

[@bobthompson4319]

The most shocking thing about this is that the engineers who built and tested the boosters said that it would happen

[@ladycheyne5607]

@Poof This!!! Those that approved should have served at least 15 years.

[@bobthompson4319]

The engineers tried to say not to fly. So much they where threatened

[@ladycheyne5607]

@@bobthompson4319 I guess the guilt and regret they had to live with was a form of punishment. It's still not enough.

[@ladycheyne5607]

@@naddarr1 I find it funny when someone robs a gas station with a weapon, the driver gets charged the same as the perpetrator. This is the same logic. Those engineers are involved in this to a degree.

[@zippitydodaday6037]

It reminds me of the titanic ship being warned the speed was too fast and captain didn't listen.

[@shakes525]

We watched this live in middle school. One girl realized what happened before anyone else and was hysterical. We didn't find out until later her mother was a finalist in the teachers in space program.

[@nillyk5671]

@@jockoharpo2622 Take your anxiety medicine and go to bed.

[@joshgriffin747]

Her mom was in the teachers in space program? My 6th grade teacher said that she herself was the alternate for mcuula . In fact she even had nasas moon rocks for a week. She had the case handcuffed to her wrist 24-7 . Here in Moses Lake ,Washington

[@shakes525]

@@joshgriffin747 Yes, obviously not the one chosen but in one of the final rounds. They had to call her mom and let her talk to her to calm her down. I've always wanted to hold a moon rock. Never gotten the chance tho :(

[@shaneb8254]

@@shakes525 I've smoked moon rocks before.

[@tkaiabutler2245]

I had a substitute teacher once who was a finalist. I was down to her and the teacher who won

[@Dulcimerist]

I watched this happen live, and it's one of those events that you remember exactly where you were when it happened. Sadly, most people seem to only know Christa McAuliffe's name, but forget about the others who perished in this tragedy.

[@cdelane3335]

Yes I was in 2nd grade our teachers let us watch it. I remember they hurried to the TV and turned it off they where visible upset and they started trying to distract us from what happened but even at 8 I knew something bad had happened because my teachers body language told me.

[@jockoharpo2622]

Where were you when the dinner bell rings?

[@yvettepurnell-davis5626]

​@@cdelane3335 I was in 2nd grade also... the teacher let us watch...

[@anselmocosio6647]

So did my wife and I That was a cold morning No common sense at NASA to stop and wait for warmer weather It's basic physics The way hot and cold affects the way things operate

[@largol33t1]

I saw the Challenger explode on TV, watching it from my classroom in Oklahoma. I never forgot the faces of the entire crew when they showed the publicity picture of all 7 of them. The picture was clearly burned into my memory. I did ask myself why we took such insane risks. And the best answer I got was watching an interview on TV with the late Ronald McNair. He said he knew and understood the dangers but he went because he said "How will we know what's out there?" And I still remember that. It's no different from 15th century explorers daring to sail west through the Atlantic despite common fears at the time that the world was "flat" and that you would fall off the edge. Had Christopher Columbus and the Vikings before him not taken that chance, we probably wouldn't have known about the existence of North or South America. We need to keep exploring space. We need to find out what's out there and beyond. Think about why the show Star Trek and all its spinoffs are so popular. Think about the famous ad tag line: To explore new worlds and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before...

[@MrDarkmarius]

I remember the space shuttle disaster like it was yesterday. I was 17 years old & working as a phone solicitor selling carpet cleaning service. Our office was very busy calling countless people about carpet cleaning when all of a sudden, our office manager got a phone call from our company's owners to immediately stop calling people. Our office manager yelled for all of us to stop calling people & for those of us who were on the phone with customers to apologize for interrupting them & to let them go. Then with a very shaky voice, our office manager said, "The space shuttle Challenger has just exploded!!! Please join me in prayer to help all those involved to be ok!!!" Then our office manager started praying as his voice became more shaky. It was very serious & very touching. All of us were totally shocked

[@peacewillow]

what a beautiful display of respect..... thank you for sharing that. 💕

[@Vinsternator40]

Some teachers wanted to turn the tv’s off. But I remember distinctly a teacher stopping them saying “this is history in the the making, don’t stop them from being part of it.”

[@npeace312]

Good teacher there. I would have done the same.

[@LaraCroftEyes1]

At my school, the principal refused to turn off the TV he said on the speaker the teachers agree with him and I was in the library when the Shuttled explode.

[@merricat3025]

Who is they?

[@Vinsternator40]

Merri Cat other teachers, I was so young I can remember any of their names

[@longgroove]

I was 11... We watched it through. It's one of the few things that everyone remembered and seems to have seen live in their classrooms everywhere. That freefall in the pressurised cabin must have been terrifying.

[@princesse0920]

Whoever decided to ignore the engineers and go on even though they were warned about the shuttle exploding should have been charged with 3rd degree murder. They basically sent those astronauts to their deaths.

[@lss74]

Absolutely !!!

[@thatairplaneguy]

First degree imho

[@dieleg]

They shouldnt, it was a tragedy but it wasnt due to one man, it was an entire team of skilled engineers and scientists leading to this tragedy to occur, and it wasnt even directly, so a 3rd degree murder charge is mostly off the picture.

[@andrewsnowden848]

People rushing to judgement should watch the documentary over this. Definitely would learn another perspective.

[@AL-ob8wc]

@@dieleg No, they should. They knew the shuttle would most likely blow up and they did nothing

[@torifair]

I remember vividly the exact moment. I was a junior in college, studying all year in Florence, Italy. I saw pictures of the explosion on the newspapers outside the stores when I was walking to school. It was surreal because my friends in the market and the coffee shop gave me their condolences. As an American. I felt very homesick.

[@christopherstevenrankin]

I've been to Florence. ❤

[@judybrady860]

I was a stay at home mom. My kids were down for a nap and I decided to start knitting a scarf when my husband called and told me to put on the television. It was a total gut wrenching feeling to see those onlookers looking up in total shock. In 1997 we took a trip to see the launch pad. I will never forget that day. R.I.P challenger crew.

[@user-ye1nh6xj7h]

Some of Christa's students became teachers in honor of her.

[@randominternetprofile8270]

What grade did she teach

[@danam0228]

that's very touching

[@L-mo]

Stupid comment

[@danam0228]

@@L-mo how so?

[@melvinschrute9617]

@J. B. calm down you chromosome collector, it's literally not even a big deal

[@Superduper666]

I was at work when one guy yelled in shock, “the Challenger blew up!” Never will forget the shock of that moment. It was only surpassed by 9/11.

[@fishersteven8900]

Was meant to happen was no accident they're all still alive . Nobody was on the shuttle. Same with 911 it's wasn't an accident either. Wake up people no they're using covid 19 to divide us 💯

[@thomasloveless4800]

The obligatory internet troll has entered the chat.....

[@Jase583]

@@byyykusto no they are not. Do some real research. The videos and photo's claiming they are alive are all complete BS and that is a fact.

[@potatoking6571]

@@fishersteven8900 go

[@potatoking6571]

@@fishersteven8900 K

[@desireezavala7500]

I was 10 years old and watching the shuttle lift off with my elementary school class. Everyone was so excited about watching the shuttle take off because a teacher was on board and back then, it was very uncommon to watch TV in school. I still remember the lift off so clearly and then suddenly seeing smoke and realizing it would explode and then watching it explode and fall into the ocean. Everyone was in shock. I still remember being in a profound state of shock watching that live as a child and every time I read about it or watch videos of it, even now, it still makes me cry. May they all rest in peace.

[@jacquelineoh6382]

This made me cry, especially about Christa ( the teacher) she was so excited. Knowing that Barbara Morgan went in 2007 successfully touched me, I wished Christa had experienced that.

[@turkoturktech5003]

Really?? Did u Really cry? I don't believe you !!!

[@keelyourshelf]

Jesus you're hot.

[@kln58cub]

​@@turkoturktech5003 Hard to believe people have empathy for others? As a mother I cried for the parents lost to their children.

[@AncientttimeZ]

Christa is the lucky one. She's with God. What better place is there to be?

[@myjournee7381]

I was in the second grade watching live in school.... I remember vividly my teacher bursting into tears. I will never forget that day...

[@mackey4568]

They got you

[@79jwhite]

I was in 2nd grade as well. We were watching on tvs in the hallways because there wasn't enough sets for every classroom. Vivid memory.

[@elleboogie1716]

I was also in 2nd grade watching, I will NEVER forget that day 😢

[@mikedlc9766]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aoWth5uahdl4oac

[@searching4adventure85]

Then Ashton Kutcher jumped out.

[@NottoJokin]

The fact that kids could've witnessed Big Bird exploding is even more terrifying

[@notmaireelneim]

Thank goodness Big Bird was OK.

[@VeracityLH]

That would have been a helluva Sesame Street episode, explaining how Big Bird died. No joke.

[@konsuelowatkins6712]

OMG - No, I don't think I would have ever recovered.

[@louvreunknown]

It was bad enough watching it explode live and watching my teacher breakdown, I was only in first grade but remember it very well.

[@bracita15]

louvreunknown I was a Teacher’s Aide in a 1st grade class when this happened. I remember being super excited for the Teacher in Space since I was taking college classes to get me ready for a teaching career. Thankfully, we weren’t watching it live. I’ll never forget the Principal coming on the PA system to let us know what happened. I remember the teacher I worked with and myself gasping and staring at each other when we heard the news. I clearly don’t remember Ms. Boraz explaining it to the lil ones after the announcement though. I was still in shock. Until that day, shuttle takeoffs were pretty much routine. We’d gotten used to them so we rarely watched them live anymore. I don’t even remember if I knew that the shuttle was launching that day because they’d cancelled it so many times before. It infuriates me to think that they pretty much launched because they were pressured into it. I still remember all the news coverage, learning the astronaut’s names, jobs and what an O-Ring was. As well as watching footage of them board the shuttle bus taking then to the launch pad over and over. Finding out that the astronauts were alive while free falling to their deaths is heart wrenching.

[@jugghead-1975]

I remember our teacher wheeled a little 19" TV into our classroom to watch live and her absolutely loosing it when the unthinkable happened! Then most the class was in tears and we were 11 or 12 so it was a heavy moment in time that I'll never forget! Thanks Mrs C ...you were a life changer! ✌️

[@lorenzo1660]

When this tragedy happened I was a 9 year old elementary school student. Christa McAuliffe's death "in front of" her students really hit me.

[@fredlandry6170]

I was 16 at school and someone said the space shuttle blew up when we were on lunch break.

[@will.a.benjamin]

So sad to think of how easily it could have been avoided. All they had to do was wait for warmer weather.

[@TheBsheep]

Or just altogether build it right and use O rings made from a different type of material, that was more suitable for the mission.

[@howardbartlett3419]

@@TheBsheep There isn't any suitable material that wouldn't have suffered the same problems. It would have been better if the overall design of the shuttle didn't use any SRB's anyway. Liquid propulsion is significantly safer than solid propulsion.

[@TheBsheep]

@@howardbartlett3419 I think you missed the point. I'll break it down better for you. If engineers (the personnel building the shuttle) are telling you that the material you are using will not work, if you are a manager or someone else who's in charge of the mission, you probably shouldn't push back and go against their decision. The "Discover", which was a 5 man mission, successfully launched in 1988, a year later. Even if they had to wait a year, the "Challenger" should've been engineered the same as it''s successor to ensure a more safer vessel with reliable material.

[@stillsearching5816]

When you are signing up for being an astronaut you are essentially a lab rat and they need to have failures to know what is safe. Especially in the early days of space travel. Its getting much better now though.

[@howardbartlett3419]

@@TheBsheep Yes, I am well aware. My grandfather was one of those engineers who told them to delay the launch. The problem wasn't with the material, it was that the material was too cold. If they would have launched a few hours later, things would have likely been fine.

[@Metonymy1979]

I remember that because my Dad was so excited that a teacher(like him) was going into space. Everyone was quiet. The teacher just sat there, hands to face. It felt like forever. Then we all went home early. My dad has a vanity license plate in dedication to the Challenger.

[@AidenAidan]

Could you expand on that more? Like what was the first thing the teacher said to you guys and how did it effect you in your life?

[@Metonymy1979]

@@AidenAidan I was was very young so my memory is spotty. I remember the teacher sitting us down, around the TV. I don't remember the explosion. I just remember everyone being in shock and the teacher with her hands over her face. Then, I remember other teachers getting kids ready to go home. I lived down the street and walked home. An hour later my dad came through the door holding back tears. I'd never seen my Dad cry. Thats when I understood, oh this is very bad. I don't know if it effected me. Perhaps, I've seen so much(wars, 9/11) that I'm numb.

[@Applewille]

@@DudeHomer please

[@justinpino8115]

Smeg-head

[@Applewille]

@channel break Care to elaborate?

[@brettwhittlesey6862]

Scobee piloted that craft even without wings all the way down... they were the best of us. absolutely heartbreaking. rest in peace...

[@AR-sz5lm]

I was in kindergarten when this happened. All 3 kindergarten classes watched this together. It was so sad. At first it was confusing, and then the teachers started crying and some of us picked up that they died. It's still so heartbreakingly surreal to think about

[@christopher-xi2ey]

I was in third grade and we didn't understand at first, we saw the explosion and said, ahhh cool!!! Our teacher Mr Gripper explained that people died

[@DesertFox0420]

Exact situation with me. No one knew what to do.

[@Vinsternator40]

The most terrifying thing about this was they were still alive even after the explosion and didn’t die until impact. I hope and pray they were unconscious and did not suffer.

[@andrewlopez3745]

How long do you think it would take to fall 3 miles? And do you think there is a chance some of the astronauts survived the explosion?

[@DannyBoy-gw4rs]

@@andrewlopez3745 They all survived the explosion, their cabin didnt decompress and when their bodies were found their personal emergency air packs were manually activated, proving they were alive till they hit the ocean.

[@Chris.Davies]

It is almost certain that they were unconscious. The crew section began spinning rapidly, which would cause them to pass out.

[@donpettyandthespacefakers1798]

trust me they did not suffer at all

[@rodhale9211]

Indeed. They have lived a long time after the explosion.

[@presidentskroob522]

'Sadly, the engineers were overruled by their managers' Unfortunately, this probably applies to countless accidents / deaths

[@amp08021]

The biggest disasters happened like this. Chernobyl and even Fukushima.

[@dano1307]

i was told it happens on airlines all the time... they weigh the cost of repairing/replacing the plane vs the cost of death for all passengers. i dont know if its 100 percent true

[@popra432]

That is because of the cancer of the progress that is the business and so-called economics and marketing is overtaking the logic of the program of doing something science kind! That is why we have only little better new cars, but more expansive and the difference is only in design and shinier other look! And this apply to many products!

[@wernerboden239]

Yes. Let's not forget how FDA approved foods accounts for some deformities in newborns, for instance. Or how lead in paint, was said to be harmless. The list goes on, undoubtedly.

[@popra432]

@@wernerboden239 yes and this terrorist hidden organisation is constantly refusing to ban cigarettes and tobacco products cause they are highly bribed by those who sell them! So there is need for a greater revolution in the world to change this for good!

[@Christian-girl21]

I was 20 years old and was still living with my folks when this happened. We were watching it on television and were horrified to see the explosion. It was devastating and heartbreaking. May the astronauts rest in peace.

[@rchristi761]

Do some googling and you'll find they're still alive less one.

[@nightrunner1456]

I was working, the radio station I listen to send a young woman to cover the story live.

[@jaysmith5175]

the event was fake

[@nightrunner1456]

@@jaysmith5175 The event was real this channel is just spinning it, so late the media can call you a "Flat Earther" something that concocted if the first place.

[@user-qi1sz2be3d]

@@jaysmith5175 What is bro waffling about 🗣🗣🗣🔥🔥🔥

[@lonerebeI]

Shocking how no criminal charges and prison time came after this clear wilful negligence smh. RIP to these brave astronauts/educators

[@wzvy]

"So basically there's a timeline not far from ours where big bird is one of the casualties on the space shuttle challenger disaster" -Sam o' Nella, 2018

[@IceAxe1940]

I see you're a fellow person of culture.....

[@OoOMonkeyCoFreakOoO]

Or there is a timeline where NASA listened to the engineers and everyone survived.

[@erickmack4131]

Should i know who that is or gaf??

[@imrichsoexpensiveglasses9932]

I don't get it

[@powe6048]

Erick Mack he’s a guy who makes history related videos

[@jusnuts1443]

I was a senior in high school when this happened. I was in English class. Our teacher wheeled in a TV on a cart and said "Forget the lesson plan! Watch! This is history." God rest her soul. She past away recently. She was such a good teacher! And a loving person.

[@cellblocknine5385]

what did she say or do when the shuttle blew up

[@jusnuts1443]

@@cellblocknine5385 Just stared at the TV, with tears. Just like the rest of us. There were no words. Everyone was in shock. We were all heartbroken! We looked forward to the first lesson from space.

[@kanayd]

I was a junior in english class watching this live. You could have heard a pin drop the other side of the building when Challenger exploded. That moment still haunts me. And now to find out they were alive until the shuttle hit the ground...truly haunting. God bless them all and their families. 🙏

[@jusnuts1443]

@@kanayd It's only later, when I was in the Army, that I understood. Murphy's Rules of Combat: Anything you do can get you killed, including nothing. It was just their time.

[@elenasalvatierrapowers1357]

I was in 4th grade and remember this so clearly. Our teacher had the big TV cart ready since the day before. He was so excited. I will never forget his face when it happen.

[@robertcrist5747]

I watched this happen live. I'll never forget the families on the ground in shock at what they had witnessed. God Bless 🇺🇸

[@mankinmarketing]

I was working at a cabinet shop. As I was heading towards the lunch truck at the time the shuttle was launching, I passed the machine shop next to us. I then heard the guys inside saying “OMG, IT BLEW UP!!” I stepped inside their shop to watch as the shuttle was falling back into the ocean. That was a sad day I’ll never forget.

[@3chords490]

When bureaucrats and politicians rule and the people who actually know things are ignored it never goes well.

[@the99thtimelord16]

Your words are more true than you even know. Greg Jarvis died on Challenger because 2 cheeky politicians took his spot which bumped Jarvis twice, ultimately landing him on Challenger. Infuriating. This is a guy who joined the Air Force in Vietnam and worked his ass off beating out engineer after engineer the non-traditional route to become an actual member of the space program. He was one of our programs absolute greatest minds... but some politicians wanted to ride the rocket.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

History is full of such scenarios and we are currently experiencing it once more…

[@Jameswilllee]

So true. The Chernobyl disaster also comes to mind.

[@taelermoore5060]

Kinda like Trump did for the virus eh...

[@christopherj5780]

A sad lesson still not learned.

[@paahl1572]

Moral of the story: always listen to engineers. They have more schooling than you.

[@Audfile]

Because engineers never faek up. Right.

[@patrickharvey158]

The why do they make it impossible for mechanics to work on things

[@bfreak444]

@@Audfile no but when rocket scientist tell you the rockets aren’t going to work from past trial runs with Lives at stake it’s best to take their word. They KNOW more than you. Idiot...

[@backdoorletsdothis]

More schooling doesn't always mean you're right.

[@DemnRaig80]

@@bfreak444 Is name-calling really necessary? Grow the fuck up

[@LukeBCtown]

I think the most touching stories are the ones like having her backup end up making it to space years later. Or the soccer ball making it to space. Love the American spirit these men and women carried and they were able to find some sort of positive accomplishment out of such a tragedy

[@capti443]

I remember it well! At the time, I was an officer on a US Navy submarine, and we were underway in the Atlantic ocean. I was the communications officer, so I got to see all of the classified and unclassified navy message traffic real time. As a kid, I was (and still am) keenly interested in space. I grew up in the golden age of the space race in the in the 1960s. It was something I will never forget. In fact, many years later, I was involved in NASA‘s space shuttle return-to-flight program after we lost the second shuttle. Quite frankly, it was very disappointing and disheartening to see some of the issues at NASA that led to that second tragedy.

[@dennisn1672]

Doesn't even seem like it was that long ago. The older you get. The faster your life flies by. Especially when you work most everyday.

[@proud90skid15]

Work kills. The system is a joke. We were meant to be hunter/gatherers working a few hours a day if that for food and shelter. Yay progressive society... we’re already dead...

[@belindadrake5487]

It’s so true that the older you get, the faster it does go. You have more to worry about; there are to many people on this polluted, small planet. People having lVF treatments when you can adopt an unwanted child. I will never understand WHY people need to have their ‘own children’. LOVE is LOVE anyway you want to look at it. RAPING this planet of animals, & the treatment of the poor? Teach a man to fish.... l for one am glad l have no children. It’s all buggered up this poor ol’ world. You just have to make your own world; l for one can’t save it. Can you? 💔✨

[@alexfilma16]

Belinda Drake “LOVE is LOVE”. Does that include pedophiles then?

[@saintshrooms9424]

Alex May yup and I guess that means that prison is just a building

[@lickmypickle922]

Alex May What part of that was justifying pedophilia?

[@Wrz2e]

This tragic incident is a case study in why management should listen to workers before imposing top down decisions.

[@billyoung8118]

Because of the Challenger disaster, as well as many other engineering disasters, all engineering majors are required to take a class called Engineering Ethics. It essentially teaches engineering majors that you are required to do anything necessary (including approach media, police, governors, senators, even the President) if management refuses to believe that you have a factual and legitimate concern of loss of life due to a potential flaw in design. This was a very important class in my Electrical Engineering degree.

[@DQBlizzard_]

and this isnt even the first time that a NASA worker warned management of a problem, one of the Apollo tests killed three astronauts and one of the scientists warned management about the fire hazard yet they went on with the tests

[@kaplislemesis4789]

Management is sittin comfy and usually well aware of the dangers, also they are aware they aint facing these dangers.

[@monstadable]

And a good example of how bureaucracies fail.

[@kaplislemesis4789]

@@monstadable they didnt fail, they got paid in reality they have no reason to change, they saved millions over the year they ignored the problem

[@maybetnp]

I was a young nurse working in pediatrics. Our ward secretary looked up from his desk and said, “it blew up”. We asked what? And he told us. Next thing I remember was being home at my parent’s house and being glued to the news. It definitely is one of the most tragic events of my life. I will never forget it.

[@srincident]

I was a sophomore in high school. It was a snow day and I slept in but got up right before the launch. When the explosion happened, I remember saying, "That's not right." What a disaster. In late Spring, I competed in a national Speech and Drama competition in Baltimore, MD. Our group toured D.C. and went to Arlington National Cemetery. The Challenger astronauts had just been laid to rest there. I'm 52 and this still resonates with me.

[@paridhi_d9167]

This is like modern titanic tragedy - pride in proving themselves right was more important than people's lives..

[@StarMercurian]

So stupid how you aren't going to listen to an engineer of all people.Line that's their job!That's what they fucking got their degree in smh.

[@RunehearthCL]

@@StarMercurian Americans are not very good in listening the experts lol

[@stewiepid4385]

Kind of like how politicians treat U.S. Citizens now.

[@shindari]

@@stewiepid4385 Politicians have always treated citizens this way. Don't even fool yourself into ever believing there was a "better" time. There wasn't. It's just that we hear more about it, nowadays, because the 24 hour news cycle won't give us any kind of a break from the badness.

[@paridhi_d9167]

@@StarMercurian yeah right 🤦‍♀️

[@ronmaciejewski4855]

I'm an engineer, not nearly as prestigious as a NASA engineer, but an engineer nevertheless. Nothing bothers me more than when someone who isn't an engineer overrules my decision. Thankfully, in the world of architectural HVAC, people don't die when my decisions are overruled.

[@matthewloomis838]

Service tech they sure make it hard for service techs tho lol engineers lol

[@bayougtr]

He said “Engineer” three times!!!

[@samsmusichub]

I'm a graduating engineer studying the Columbia disaster. NASA was definitely not living up to the expectations of private industry or the public at the time of Challenger or Columbia.

[@nitrocw]

Im an engineering technician with 25 years under my belt. Geotechnical and Structural Engineering. We NEVER go against the P.E. Thats a death wish in my field.

[@anthonyspanjich2772]

@@nitrocw I'm a civil engineer. I just build bridges and stuff like that but when we make a call - its serious (eg wind too high to try plant 176 tonne bridge beams on top of columns). Yes, people can die and I know some have in my industry..... Why on earth didn't they listen to their engineer? He was the smartest guy in the room.....

[@farzan000]

I was a freshman at university then, a 18 year old young man. When I heard about the tragedy, I was reviewing biology for the following day test. I remember the shocking moment the world learned about it. 😱😫

[@jellybeanz3614]

It is shocking and saddening of the event. There is a hope even in the midst of the hardship. Jesus has come and has given us true life if we turn to Him. John 10:10-11, talks about Jesus came into the world to give life and he laid down his life for us. Ephesians 2:8 talks about we are saved because of Jesus, It is a free gift! Even during hard times there is hope! I pray for the families that were all effected on that day that saw what had happened to the challenger

[@MmSueable]

I saw the smoke trail while standing in a parking lot in Boca Raton. I thought it was a strange occurrence at the time. I didn’t know what had happened until I was home and turned on the TV. I was stunned as I realized what I had just witnessed. A dreadful sadness washed over me. I will never forget that sight and the feeling it created in me.

[@aaronm4706]

Why aren't these managers ever held accountable for their negligence? The same thing happened with Columbia. They were warned about a possible issue, and they ignored it. They should be serving lengthy prison sentences for the deaths they've caused.

[@ShabaaUkelele]

@Joe studly the people in power you guys keep on voting for 😉 so whose fault is it?

[@L_MD_]

Shabba Ukelele “you guys keep voting for ... “ you’re in that category too y’know.

[@melvinfleck]

The fact they forever will have to live with their decision is heavy. Believe me they should have been held accountable. But, God knows they do not go on unpunished.

[@mehermusic2154]

@@L_MD_ no, i ALWAYS vote third party

[@fishfoodie]

that would set the unimaginable precedent of political appointees being held responsible for their decisions; & thus Politicians.

[@tylertyler1360]

Imagine being the manager who overruled the decision to postpone the launch...

[@jesusramirezromo2037]

He continiued to work at NASA and eventually got promoted to head of NASA and says he still feels he made the rigth call...

[@jamiebarrientos9969]

Thats a classic twenty one pilots situation right there

[@eliaszuniga3385]

He should be in jail

[@shirleykurtz]

They probably promoted him!

[@UdumbaraMusic]

@Aidan Bavinton I'd say murder. They were told it would blow up, they knew what happens when people blow up, they put people in something they knew would blow up, it blew up. It's like pushing someone in front of a train then getting manslaughter because technically the train did it.

[@jogann2453]

I saw this live and it had a profound affect on me. This and 911 are two events in my life that I wish never ever happened.

[@stephanienicole1747]

Amen

[@roro4787]

what did you think when your country bombed the hell out of Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria etc? that didn't profoundly affect you right?

[@robinhood6954]

@@roro4787 Well said! 👍

[@HiBye-ec8ts]

@@roro4787 Zero correlation between what she said and you replied with. Literally zero

[@mattyctill]

You're blessed if these are the worst things to happen in your life, considering you didn't know the victims etc

[@SniperWuff]

My mom grew up in concord and she happened to be one of Christa’s students! She was watching the live verdict while she was home sick, she saw the explosion live and she was devastated for a awhile after that

[@donaldmcauliffe7653]

My cousin lost his wife his children lost their mother. The children are grow up now but still have pain in their heart This should never have happened

[@donaldmcauliffe7653]

@Jeff Larocque l dont understand you

[@tigergreg8]

@@donaldmcauliffe7653 He doesn't believe you are related to the Mcauliffe family.

[@donaldmcauliffe7653]

@@tigergreg8 l am a McAuliffe

[@npeace312]

I am so sorry. Breaks my heart.

[@donaldmcauliffe7653]

@@npeace312 l remember how the children felt they are my cousins. It should never happened

[@DesertVan]

I was in third grade. The whole school was watching. Before 911 this was my “where were you” moment.

[@tomryan914]

Mine was , third grade, Nov. 22, 1963 !

[@mystiquesonja2084]

I’m 22 and don’t remember 9/11. I think these Covid months will be my “where were you moment”.

[@kjlandon9140]

tom ryan what was that like? must’ve been so crazy

[@mr.boomguy]

@@mystiquesonja2084 Funny enough, O do with 9/11, and I'm 22 too. I was just returning home with mom, when I saw watched a cloud of smoke at the tv. It's a faint memory tho.

[@marieantoinettescake9513]

And then 3 months after, the Chernobyl disaster was all you heard about in the news.

[@mishie618]

I will never ever forget being in 2nd grade watching this live in our classroom, and all of the teachers and kids, we all just cried and cried, and they let us go home early, because we were all traumatized seeing what was supposed to be amazing and exciting, a teacher going into space was such a big deal.. I will never forget my teacher shrieking when it exploded and none of the kids understood until the principal explained over the loud speaker. So heartbreaking still to this day.

[@r.a.tackey3230]

trauma based mind control

[@taramarielmt]

My dad was working at KSC/NASA when this happened. I was about 3 years old so I only remember how distraught everyone was that day. When I was a little older and started kindergarten, I attended Challenger 7 Elementary school named after the tragedy. The school had a huge picture of the crew that was signed by each individually in the office. My father (he works in hazardous gas detection lab at Kennedy Space Center) won a silver snoopy award for saving another shuttle from potential disaster in 1988. His office scrubbed both Artemis launches as well. They really do take safety to a whole other level now.

[@merricat3025]

I remember all we heard about was Christa McAuliffe. I felt bad for the astronauts families because they weren't talked about.

[@Gamble661]

I felt the same way when Kobi Bryant died earlier this year, you never heard anything about the other people on that helicopter, not much anyway.

[@azreanaibrahim2721]

I could be because family privacy.... or they want to move on

[@anonamous365]

She had no buisness being there

[@judithryle2113]

I know. It was as if she was the only one that mattered

[@emilybehnke8004]

My 3rd grade teacher was one of the runner's up for that launch. I remember her crying when she was talking about it, I can't imagine how scary it would be

[@Tpklmale]

My best friend's Mother qualified #6 for the teacher spot. Her name was Vivian Woods. She died last week. I remember 10 - 12 inch thick literature packs she had to study as part of the qualifications.

[@ajaxashford4815]

no one died. That Teacher is still alive. it was all a stunt.

[@Tpklmale]

@@ajaxashford4815 with all due respect, which is zero, fuck you.

[@x_ultra6628]

interesting my 6th grade science teacher was also a runner up in phx az

[@borninmassteaparty3132]

Whoah that is Freaky! Imagine being her and thinking, "God that could have been me".

[@user-yb2qy6gu7x]

I'm an aerospace engineer, listen to us when we give failure specs within certain conditions. If people at NASA listened these heros would still be with us

[@gaylenesanchez1170]

I remember watching this live at home back in 1986, just graduated from Highschool, it was horrible then and still today!! Godbless and RIP all aboard the mission!! 😔

[@Niggleblade1986]

Nobody then

[@MaryJane-th7mg]

That's so messed up that they were alive during the whole thing, rip to the challenger crew

[@zippitydodaday6037]

They likely died before they crashed into the ocean. After free falling so many feet in air you're likely to die. Personally I would prefer a few minutes of life knowing it's the end but certainly not if I were going to drown to death.

[@michaezell4607]

@@zippitydodaday6037 They were killed instantly upon hitting the ocean. At that altitude hitting water is essentially the same as hitting concrete.

[@zippitydodaday6037]

@@michaezell4607 Yeah... Makes sense. I tried to avoid thinking that to spare brutal image thoughts, but easier to read than to write it....

[@RyanBurnsRed]

@@zippitydodaday6037 no offense but I don't think you know what you're talking about

[@julienielsen3746]

@@michaezell4607 -I always wondered about that, because how much was the shuttle built to be able to withstand?. Could it have made it in one piece upon impact? I always thought maybe they had survived for sometime under the water.

[@kristiross2387]

I was in the kitchen feeding my almost 2 year old daughter watching the historic launch. It’s burned in my brain just like 9-11.

[@lisamcbride8921]

Yes, same here!

[@tiffprendergast]

Yup

[@jockoharpo2622]

@@lisamcbride8921 You both had the same 2 year old daughter?

[@lisamcbride8921]

@@jockoharpo2622 No my then 2nd grader was at school when 911 happend, Challenger disaster, he was not born yet, but watching it unfold on tv I was horrified!

[@lisamcbride8921]

That poor boy of mine , who is now 29, has seen way to much in his life so far! He was born the year Desert Storm started, then 911, he buried two grandfathers and one grandmother! Now this messed up pandemic crap! He was exposed twice and had to hunker down for two weeks both times! One time exposed just before Christmas, that was horrible, but thank the Lord he tested negative, then his boss came down with covid 19, but he tested negative with that one too! He works within the prison system here in Detroit, so I worry like crazy! He has been vaccinated and of course wears his mask all the time!

[@millcanyonroad2064]

When the Challenger disaster happened, I worked at Hughes Space & Communications in El Segundo. Onboard the Challenger was Hughes Payload Specialist Greg Jarvis. who worked in the same building as I did. I used to see him in the hallways. Greg even worked in the same department I did not long before I joined the team. My department manager at the time was a backup Payload Specialist from Hughes, who went through all the astronaut training. He was wearing his blue NASA jumpsuit when he came to work that morning. Tragic does not even begin to cover what is was like that morning. It was an omen of doom. Not long before the Challenger disaster, Vandenberg Air Force Base had launched two separate Titan rockets, each carrying a billion dollar defense satellite payload. Both Titan rockets blew up on launch, along with the satellite payloads, within a month or two of each other. It is not like the Air Force to blow up rockets. It made me wonder if sabotage was involved. The Challenger was the third launch failure, with defense satellite payload. The satellite industry took a nose dive after that. I wound up leaving El Segundo, and migrated to Boeing in Seattle.

[@joedoe-sedoe7977]

I will never forget the expression on Christa’s mothers face as she watch looking upward and smiling with bewilderment after the explosion totally unaware she had just lost her daughter.. no doubt later thinking “how could I let her do something so obviously foolish?”

[@Niggleblade1986]

Shes alive

[@BluePyxl2040]

@@Niggleblade1986 no way

[@Niggleblade1986]

@@BluePyxl2040 way

[@BluePyxl2040]

@@Niggleblade1986 no shot

[@Niggleblade1986]

@@BluePyxl2040 shot

[@michaelbarlow6610]

If the Challenger disaster had not occured, Christa McAuliffe would be 72 years old this year. R.I.P. 1986 Challenger Crew😥

[@EVRose60]

@@nemo2203 They likely survived the explosion. When they hit the water it was all over.

[@Paula-kc1lu]

@@EVRose60 I dunno about that... hitting the water that fast would be the same as hitting concrete

[@EVRose60]

@@Paula-kc1lu Right. That's why I said when they hit the water it was all over.

[@markpalumbo129]

She was only in her mid-20s when she was my teacher how time flies

[@mazenbraika2069]

@@nemo2203 no, they would’ve died after hitting the water. Likely survived the explosion but smashing into water from that height is death

[@allaboutBlueBerry]

I was on the bus, on the way to school when someone told me, “the Challenger blew up” ...I thought he meant a local restaurant we had, also named ‘the challenger’ ...I thought my cousin got blown up as he was the head cook at the restaurant. When I got to school I phoned my mom and told her Ricky’s restaurant exploded. I was so stupid.

[@alukuhito]

Ricky's is also the name of a restaurant in Canada, specializing in breakfasts. If I heard that Ricky's Restaurant exploded I would be really surprised. Of all places! Probably a disgruntled worker. Lots of those in Canada.

[@ukmedicfrcs]

@@alukuhito No, Ricky is his cousins name not the restaurant name.

[@randominternetprofile8270]

I used to eat at a restaurant called "Cousins" in Quebec that ironically exploded.

[@allaboutBlueBerry]

w link the restaurant wasn’t named after the American mission. It just happened to have the same name!

[@topguniceman14]

I'm sorry but this cracked me up. Kids are something else.

[@tamezjohn4805]

I remember the Challenger disaster. I was in 10th grade Rockwall High Texas. It was in the morning. We were in Athletics when the head coach came to us and said we should have a moment of silence to remember the astronauts that died that day. Man does time fly. I was only 16 at that time. I'm 53 now. Wow

[@lucyandpaige1]

You know what is really sad.. for both the Challenger and the Colombia. The engineers identified issues that needed to be addressed and they were overlooked. Nobody should overlook and engineer when it comes on to things like this. Hurts to see the astronauts go out like that 😢😢😢💔💔💔

[@jamesbarnard9710]

I was an engineer working on the booster parachute recovery system. I was home sick, but had tuned in to the telephone broadcast that was available in those days. I subsequently watched the replay on TV, then called my section, as they had not heard about it. It was later revealed that a NASA person had first agreed with the Morton-Thiokol booster program manager and one of the engineers that it was too cold to launch, but later overruled them and proceeded to okay the launch. IMHO, that NASA manager should have been charged with seven counts of manslaughter or even murder! In other countries, he probably would have been arrested and executed! When Columbia disintegrated on reentry, a number of NASA engineers emailed each other, thinking about requesting the Air Force image the orbiter for signs of damage from the ice that fell off the external tank on liftoff. However, they were overruled by their boss! Again, somebody should have been held responsible for that decision! NASA has had a history of arrogance, and a tendency to suffer from acute cases of "GO! fever"!!!! It has caused the deaths of 17 astronauts, including the three who died in the Apollo I fire. That, too, could have been prevented if NASA had listened to the complaints of Gus Grissom, and also thought back to the high school chemistry class experiment of placing a glowing splinter into a test tube of pure oxygen! Had they paid attention, they would have not pressurized the cabin to 2 x 14.7 psi with pure O2. And, they also would have adhered to the original design of the hatch to enable quick release. That quick release hatch was incorporated into the redesign of the Apollo command modules. I am hopeful, but somewhat skeptical about the approach to the Artemas program. Hopefully, we can avoid some of the mistakes of previous programs.

[@leelunk8235]

LUCY IMAGINE THE DISASTER IF WE DECIDED BACK THEN TO TRAVEL TO THE MOON

[@ihbarddx]

At the time, I worked for Martin Marietta Environmental Systems. MM had made the tank, which was basically what exploded. We watched the launch on a portable TV. After the explosion, no one said anything… for about three weeks. No one spoke socially, even after we were absolved. We were so shaken.

[@jeremyr722]

That sounds awful

[@ihbarddx]

@@jeremyr722 Yeah. Shoulda been there.

[@vibes8k299]

ihbarddx i’m so sorry it’s really sad that people who oversee these things are the reasons tragedies like this happen

[@jimsmith8797]

The ones that said it’s fine and had no regard for the engineers advice, should be charged with manslaughter

[@sarawiddle6094]

That is a very stupid statement. People make mistakes, no one can hold judgement on another human being except the almighty God. I pray if you're still living you will change your life if you haven't yet.

[@peachcash709]

@@sarawiddle6094 oh shut up

[@sarawiddle6094]

Peach, I hope you change your life to.

[@meowky4001]

@@sarawiddle6094 yes shut up

[@sarawiddle6094]

Flo low, first of all, your name is really stupid. I don't know how you got your name or how you think it's a cool name because it's not. It's far from a cool name and your comment is also almost as stupid as your name. Secondly, I hope you get some help because, you really need some psychiatric help. But before you get the psychiatric help,I hope you pray to God and ask him for forgiveness of any sins you may have committed and you ask him to be your Lord and savior because you really need him. Please do the following that I have suggested. Have a nice day.

[@robbesebesta3818]

I was a senior at Alvin High School, just outside of Houston. I was in the athletic office and they had it on the television there. I’ll never forget it.

[@giraffezebra2698]

I was a student nurse and watched it with one of my hospital patients distantly related to one of the astronauts. I don’t recall which one. I remember hugging her and crying. I can’t imagine what Christa’s students experienced watching this from their classroom.

[@Sadarsa]

It wasn't just a handfull of schools that watched this.... Schools across the country watched. I was in the 5th grade at the time, and we were glued to the TV watching as it exploded.

[@meemurthelemur4811]

So was I. They gathered us all into classrooms by grade and we all watched as the shuttle went up. Nobody spoke, nobody moved. We were all just frozen in place. They sent us home early that day. There was no point in trying to conduct classes. The teachers could barely speak. They later told us the astronauts had all died instantly and that there were no remains to recover. This is the first time I'm learning that they were alive and conscious as they fell and that they actually found the bodies. It's still heartbreaking, but I'd like to think that at least some of the families were able to get some comfort from being able to bring their loved ones home.

[@pat5star]

It wasn’t just “school across the country”, it was schools around the world! I was a 6th grade student in Canada and vividly remember watching this, too.

[@kjlandon9140]

also the gulf war. why was that a thing

[@Simonsays90]

Barbara Morgan wasn’t actually a “civilian” when she flew on the shuttle. She was Christa McAuliffe’s back up and was a teacher at the time of the disaster, but when she went to space she was a full fledged astronaut. She went through the 2 year training program and was a Mission Specialist. She operated the RMS (the big boom arm used to move the payloads around) during the mission

[@ninademci1500]

simonsays90, I didn't realize it.

[@samsmusichub]

That's hella cool!

[@israelpartisan9927]

Wait, do you mean the Canadarm?

[@crystalwings4520]

@@israelpartisan9927 It was. That shuttle arm thingy is called Canadarm.

[@skydivejumprope]

She was my 3rd grade teacher in McCall, ID. I remember watching the shuttle blow up in her class while eating astronaut ice cream. :-/ Think I still have the Challenger Crew photo with all of their signatures on it somewhere that she had gotten them to sign for me. Crap, i hope I still have it! Gee I haven't seen it in years. I better go dig around.

[@geoffreyhunnicutt488]

I was in the mountain phase of Ranger School in northern Georgia. We were on patrol in the TVD when the temperature dropped to zero degrees with blowing snow. I remember the water in my canteen froze. That was coldest I have ever been. Our RIs were radioed to bring us to a warming tent for the rest of the night. Some time after that, I don't remember exactly when, we were brought into a small briefing building and told that the Challenger exploded. We resumed training. I didn't see the actual explosion of the challenger until months later. No You Tube or internet back then. It was only then when I read the full story of what happened that I put together that the unusual cold weather we had experienced is what led to the disaster.

[@hpowe1]

I grew up in Huntsville, AL, where much of the aerospace technology is developed and lots of testing performed. My dad worked on the Space Station, in fact. Whenever there was a launch, people would come from all over to view it. Even though they never took place from Huntsville, they would come here to be with people they had worked on projects with or share the experience of witnessing the launches with friends in the industry. I remember being in my 5th grade classroom and we were about to watch the launch on a newly-installed television that our teacher was given the week before. The worst kid in class was being reprimanded and was eventually kicked out and sent to the library. In all of the commotion associated with his dismissal, the teacher forgot to turn the TV on (I guess) but that kid, while in the library, saw the whole thing. He ran back to the classroom and told us the shuttle exploded. He was such a troublemaker that she thought he was lying for a laugh and was kicking him back out when someone else corroborated his story. She finally turned the TV on and we were able to see the entire event played back. It was one of the saddest days of my life.

[@sonyagriffy]

I was 15, and in class that day. All the schools participated. It was a contest and we (kids) all wanted to send our teacher. They rolled out that t.v. that day and seconds in an explosion. The teacher turned the t.v. off and it got real quiet. We were all then sent home. Truly sad day for us all and it traumatized many. RIP Christa and fellow austronauts.♥️

[@anthonyjolly6868]

I was 16 in music class in Junior High School here in Texas watching it on TV.The music teacher said out loud "Oh No" it blew it Up'' with her hands on her face and started crying sitting at the piano.We didn't know what really just happened. We just thought it was just smoke from the shuttle from flying. Then we found out minutes later the school principal came over the intercom and said school would be let out early due to the shuttle tragedy.

[@alanewalton9258]

I was at home in West Virginia ( snow day) watching everything on tv waiting for my Birthday cake to come out of the oven. Yes my birthday is January 28.

[@Holytoaster]

Christa actually was considered an astronaut. Fun fact she was the mission specialist in charge of controlling what was called the canadarm

[@emla15]

@@alanewalton9258 Damn... It must have been sad to watch that on your birthday..

[@KJ_PhD]

Oh how awful

[@jasonhoward9554]

I was in 2nd grade, and we were all ushered into the cafeteria/gym to watch the live feed on a TV cart. Once the explosion happened, the teachers all started crying. We were all confused, but they said nothing and told us to go outside and play. I'll remember that day for the rest of my life.

[@dm9489]

Same - grade 2 but instead of being in the gym/cafeteria, the tv got wheeled into our classroom. Funny how I still remember this well so many years later. A terrible tragedy.

[@dondark6423]

So why aren't the managers in prison for gross criminal negligence resulting in manslaughter

[@alanmaclaren4366]

@@dondark6423 because it was an “accident”

[@AthenaGM]

Me too, but back home in Puerto Rico. It was very confusing. But, I remember the teachers embracing each other and crying.😔

[@salvitoripopadillo4539]

@@byyykusto YES! I found another truth seeker!

[@user-oe4dk6sb5u]

The man who pleaded for a delay was named Bob EBELING. Not Eberling. He is an American hero who, along with other engineers, tried to stop the launch.

[@ko7577]

What's insane is that if they had just delayed the launch a few hours, it might have been okay. Like why would you not do that?

[@lanagorgeous9485]

I was a young 2LT citing in a classroom at our Officer's Basic Course, when our course guide 1LT Vargo came into the class and informed us all. It was devastating news. I remember listening to Reagan that evening, and honoring their memory. As a young officer being trained to lead in combat, we knew if if a war started during our career, loss of life would be an unfortunate reality, so losing these courageous Americans, although a peaceful mission still really hit home. Listening to Reagan that evening was reassuring.

[@gopdiva]

I went to high school with Greg Jarvis. He was the payload specialist and civilian on the flight. I was teaching science in Houston when it happened and was looking forward to inviting Greg to my science class. Sadly, that was to never happen. I called NASA and identified myself and asked to attend the memorial service. I had to drive to the Space Center to get a pass for the memorial the next day. We were directed to a parking lot where a bus was waiting for us. A lady boarded the bus and sat next to me. It was Marsha Chaffee, whose husband had perished in a fire on the launch pad in 1967. When we reached security we were asked if we were friends, family, or employees. Marsha said none of the above. I became protective of her and told them who she was. They said we should sit with the astronauts. I was introduced to many present and former astronauts that day. We hung in every word of President Reagan which was somehow healing.

[@jockoharpo2622]

Oh We were never informed what Greg Jarvis was. Was he one of the crew of the SPace Shuttle Columbia?

[@shannonpharr1451]

Oh wow that just brought tears to my eyes thank you for your story and bless you as well

[@gopdiva]

@@shannonpharr1451 Thank you, Shannon. There are mini stories I can share. Greg was supposed to go up on the previous flight but got bumped by a Congressman which put him on the fateful flight. My mom had had a heart attack and watched it live. She is the reason I went to the memorial. She called me and encouraged me to go. It all happened very quickly but I was meant to be there. She wanted me to go to represent Greg because she was friends with his parents. One of the astronauts I sat with was Bruce McCandless. He was famous for the picture of him flying without a a tether. Sadly, he passed away in 2017 at the age of 80.

[@judydelisle5290]

@@gopdiva good story🙏💕

[@BJenny38]

Thank you for your memories! I loved reading your account. Ignore that Jocko. He left 5 hateful replies to my comment.

[@jamievoller7945]

I was 7 years old, right across the river from NASA, the whole school was outside. As tradition for all shuttle launches we chanted "Green for Go!" Then the teachers screaming and crying, rushing us back to our classroom. The boom of the explosion, the tears, the confusion. After a couple years I got transferred to a brand new elementary school. I am honored to say, I was one of the first students to attend "Challenger 7 Elementary School" in honor of the lives lost that tragic day

[@Dobviews]

I was 8 that year. I was home from school with a sinus head cold. I watched it explode on TV and just sat there in astonished silence not moving but tears streaming down my face. My mom came in from the kitchen and saw me bawling and said, "Oh, hunny they will be back! They are just going up for a few days." I tried explaining it blew up but she didn't believe me until Dan Rather came on. We both just sat on the couch in our TN home that afternoon crying holding each other. She even burnt dinner forgetting it was on the stove. I wept all week over it. Not sure why it hit me so hard as I was not in Christa's class or anything and didn't know anyone personally who had perished. It was my first big dose of shock and sadness at such a young age. Watching them die right in front of you from the ground looking up must have been horrible. Wishing you well.

[@abaker2921]

My school changed its mascot to the " challengers". Kinda lame looking back

[@thresagraham8181]

What a memory,of history, so tragic, I am not even American and cannot remember, if I saw this on TV in realism, I kinda doubt it but whenever I did see it, every now and again I randomly think about what happened and how it felt in those few mins then ever after for their families.. courage at its best, in my opinion. 😞😞✌️

[@SnowFamilyOf4]

Thank you for sharing that. I was 10 years old watching in my class at school.

[@jodibonds]

@Jamie Voller Titusville?

[@jkbenedict]

1986. I watched this live with one of the astronaut's family members there. When it exploded, one of the kids in my school screamed "COOL! LET'S WATCH IT AGAIN!" I will never forget that as my dad picked me up from school and I watched it over and over on Turner Network television. I am still shaken to my core that this happened as Chernobyl happened not long after.....

[@delagum1]

I was teaching a Math class at a university and stopped my lecture to turn on the tv so the whole class could watch. Afterwards I canceled the rest of the lecture.

[@pixie3760]

Why would you have engineers who have studied for years to get their degrees only to ignore their advice ? It's absolutely absurd. Engineers have a knowledge that the lay person can only imagine. The whole concept of this is something I just can't fathom.

[@estelleschneider9033]

@@HaxAras Those who did this knowingly are guilty of the astronauts deaths

[@bear1586]

Having had to study this for my engineering ethics course, there a lot of reasons why the approval was still given for the challenger launch despite the warnings of the engineers. Where they good reasons? No, they were entirely selfish but not without merit. At that time, despite being the forefront of America's might, NASA had put themselves between a rock and a hard place, promising 24 launches a year. That was entirely unreasonable, but their funding and their livelihoods depended on the idea that they had to meet that quota with the space shuttle program. The media and society, as a whole not as individuals, also put peer pressure on NASA as this was the 3 or 4th delay in the Challenger launch since original launch day and it had started to become the butt of jokes. NASA was faced with ridicule of their new program and the idea of their honor/reputation, but in hindsight, the challenger did more damage to them than any more amount of delays. I am in no way defending what decisions where made, because they were entirely selfish, but putting yourself in the shoes of NASA, they took on more then they could handle and they knew it, but they couldn't back out because of the spotlight, the pressure, the funding, and the idea of NASA on the line if Challenger failed. Thats why the crying voices of the few fell on the deaf ears of the powerful.

[@heathergustar638]

I can fathom it. N A S A saved twelve u s dollars on buying new o rings

[@vudu174]

Egos. Sad

[@alk3myst]

I was a freshman at Forest Hill High School. We were about 3 hours away from the launch. It's still shocking. May their souls be happy where they are now.

[@lyndonfisher299]

i will never forget it and it haunts me in dreams and memories even now. God bless the crew! I live my life for them. Bravehearts!!

[@mariewoelfel6936]

Krista was my 3rd grade teachers best friend so we were watching live in our classroom. I'll never forget how it impacted us watching our teacher collapse in the middle of the room when it happened.

[@nickhalden9220]

She is still alive

[@TeleCaster66]

@@nickhalden9220 I know, I wish everyone would wake up.

[@kbcoop3249]

Haha

[@marissa8190]

@@TeleCaster66 imagine telling other people to wake up when you literally believe in conspiracy theories

[@laurencalabro3146]

That is so heartbreaking. My god. I will say her legacy lives on, even out here in Washington state. NASA did that whole crew so wrong.

[@bryceirwin9919]

My mother knew another school teacher who was trying to get on The Challenger, she said when the rocket crashed he was visibly shaken over what happened to Christina

[@lavenderflowersfall280]

Probably but what she was really thinking, "thank the Lord God I wasn't on that spaceship"

[@gerardcowan155]

Could you imagine being mad u didn't get picked then to see what happened I'd be sick

[@elijahculper5522]

Gerard Cowan My high school biology teacher was one of the teachers who was on the shortlist. Once she talked about being frustrated that a social studies teacher was going instead of a science teacher because she thought the mission would have more applications in a science classroom. It was something that really shook her up. When she discussed it, it was clear that it still haunted her.

[@jamesanderson6373]

Who is Christina?

[@jamesanderson6373]

You mean Christa?

[@joys9791]

I was in the 5th grade in Houston, Tx and my school was watching live. Ron McNair was a Sunday school teacher at my church too. A couple years ago, one of my students parents showed my class a picture of herself holding one of Ron’s children because she was the family’s babysitter.

[@MrArcadia2009]

My sister was constantly watching a clip of the explosion when I got home from school. Another teacher had told me this, (whispered to me while I was in a different class) but I hadn't quite believed it at the time.

[@bieassialaw6832]

I was one of the many elementary school children watching this when the shuttle exploded. It was sad then and sad today 🥺

[@neuralmute]

So was I! We were all so messed up by it - kids were crying and screaming and completely freaking out. Imagine being a teacher, trying to deal with your 4th grade class who has just witnessed this...

[@Prettywhite4awhiteguy]

Same, I was only 7 at the time but I remember it all very clearly

[@jdbarr769]

@@neuralmute We were 5th grade.

[@PipimiOden]

@Egg T cause everything IS scary

[@neuralmute]

@Egg T You kids don't live in reality, or know the value of human life.

[@annapineda6826]

I watched it live at school in 5th grade. It was 3 months after my dad died of cancer. It was a difficult time for me thinking that the families of the astronauts were now dealing with the grief that I carried with me every minute of the day. Thank you for an informative and respectful video

[@rickbreitenbecher124]

I'll never forget. I was driving to work, and heard a snippet on the radio about "possibility that the crew compartment survived", and didn't know what they were talking about. Shuttle takeoffs had become a routine thing by then, and we didn't watch every one of them like in the beginning of the program. By the time I got to work, I knew what had happened. Hearing Reagan's speech on TV that night was heart-wrenching.

[@John-cy9nf]

I was in grade school when this happened it was mind blowing that this could happen and I honestly felt sad for a few days thinking about those people who died. I think I was no more than 8 years old. When i recently visited NASA all I could think about during the tour was Challenger. So Sad

[@mikedlc9766]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aoWth5uahdl4oac

[@joesigl3022]

comic guy I forget where I was, probably just doing whatever. The moral of the story is, “Better them than me”.

[@tharshope8203]

I watched in English class--

[@alukuhito]

Does "grade school" mean "elementary school"?

[@crystalwings4520]

@@mikedlc9766 No one cares

[@Reignor99]

The netflix documentary on this had me in tears. The teacher was such a wholesome lady, she baked an apple pie for the other female astronaut when they first met.

[@thealaskanforever]

What’s the documentary called

[@KushClarkKent]

@@thealaskanforever Challenger: The Final Flight

[@TeleCaster66]

Don't feel badly, she's still alive.

[@nobodyatallvallejo3672]

@@TeleCaster66 how did she survive the explosion? 🧐

[@Lion-mu7vu]

@@nobodyatallvallejo3672 Nah he’s just a looney

[@coloradobrad6779]

My sixth grade teacher came into the classroom and had to break the news to us - the look on her face. I have never seen a parent so scared and horrified in real life. Every adult was crying. The fifth grade teacher in our elementary school had also applied to be in the program.

[@ninaharper6282]

I do remember. I was in my 2nd year of college, and I was in Speech class when we heard the news. So very sad. I learned a lot about the tragedy from your video. Thanks.

[@richardgibson3160]

How come no one went to prison for gross negligence and/ or involuntary man slaughter?

[@chevyon37s]

Because it’s a government program.

[@aerofiles5044]

@@chevyon37s well nasa itself is a civilian program

[@robertlaube574]

For what? she knew what she was risking, they all did.

[@bepythebear2077]

NASAs beginnings include Warnher von Braun Who wasn't just a Nazi war criminal he was an SS man.... No one at nasa is going to be accountable for fuck all !

[@garage9283]

Bepy The Bear ohmanwhatanidiotyouare

[@butterflybeauty615]

NASA knew it was dangerous to do this in subzero temperatures and still went ahead to launch. What a disgrace😔

[@ladyjade6446]

Greed

[@walkingman9171]

They murdered those people and probably no one went to prison.

[@butterflybeauty615]

@@ladyjade6446 true that❤️

[@Resist_Oppression]

Temp was not subzero. Subzero is of 0 degrees F or lower. Yes, they were wrong in launching when temps were roughly 26-36 degrees F, but don't spread false information. Maybe you meant sub freezing temps, which is 32 degrees F.

[@xyz7572]

@@Resist_Oppression subzero as in below zero degrees Celsius, the temperature where water freezes to ice. No one in science uses weird illogical American units.

[@user-vn8tx8ro1e]

I was an elementary teacher in Titusville, FL and watched the launch and Space Shuttle Challenger disaster with all our school faculty and students from outside our school building that VERY cold morning in Florida. It was a very sad day as our school families had family members who worked for NASA from the Cape and that day was forever marked in our lives. Going to the site on our way to Playalinda Beach would forever change the solemn reminder of those astronauts and their families who lost their lives!

[@theresasimmons9007]

I remember Ron McNair because he was from SC. My Mom knew way before I did that it had blown up. I just could not believe it. It was so shocking.

[@WiliiamNoTell]

The Navy Admiral that sat on the investigation board was quoted as saying NASA was so incompetent they shouldn't be allowed to run a Greyhound bus service let alone a space agency!

[@archangel6666]

It wasn’t nasa’s fault tho. The government cut funding and they had to work with it. The astronauts knew what they were heading into. If you look at every space shuttle launch you will start to see that they basically have zero funds to start with and every launch is doomed due to using cheaper materials

[@meyes1098]

Well maybe if that fucker should have thought that if nasa would have received even half the funding the military does, well first of all we'd be in a completely different world right now (much more advanced), and secondly, the accident wouldn't have happened.

[@KaladinVegapunk]

..but thats horseshit? the engineers knew about the frozen O rings, and couldn't even watch the launch, they said this is exactly what would happen if the launch proceeded but they were forced to proceed just so it could be shown in a speech for the president and be used as PR it was purely a bureaucratic fuck up, not the fault of the engineers or astronauts and yeah..if NASA got even 2% of the funding our military does, we'd have helium 3 mines on the moon, colonies in orbit, mining the asteroid belt and space elevators

[@Fister_of_Muppets]

Fast forward to next week, and American astronauts will finally once again be launched into space by SpaceX, a private American company, and not a bloated shell like NASA has become.

[@youtubecreator950]

@@Fister_of_Muppets It's sad in one week we have to relive this again. And even tho you get mad at for saying that, mark my words........

[@moe9246]

I will never forget that day. I was home, painting my hallway, getting ready to move. My children were 4 and 1 yr old. Judy Resnick was from my hometown, Akron, Ohio.