Shocking Facts About the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster

[@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.

[@Lollie22]

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!

[@OhNoFroBro]

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

[@ElusiveLabs]

Id hit it

[@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

[@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.

[@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

[@Coppellgirl]

My teacher was a finalist for MS

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@RJERR]

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!

[@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.

[@6.4inAz]

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

[@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.

[@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

[@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. 💕

[@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

[@SasfootBigsquatch]

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.

[@detective___mcnulty]

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

[@RandomInternetProfile]

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

[@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...

[@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.

[@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.

[@AidenAlien]

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]

@@AidenAlien 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?

[@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.

[@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. ❤

[@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!

[@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.

[@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".

[@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.

[@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.

[@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?

[@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

[@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! ✌️

[@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

[@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.

[@BackyardRambo]

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]

@@BackyardRambo 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.....

[@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?

[@CrystalWings12]

@@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@shadodragonette]

I remember this. Everything was eerie quiet in my school after the explosion. Teachers gave us busy work, like word searches, because they couldn't focus either. Even the trouble makers were quiet that day. It was a few days before things got back in order on the surface, but much longer before it felt the same.

[@21centuryg]

Kind of reminds me of when I was in middle school and 9/11 happened

[@jockoharpo2622]

Did you see Dan Rather say it's apparent that the space shuttle and it's crew have been blown to smithereens, too?

[@jockoharpo2622]

The troublemakers are the frauds that work at NASA who lie!

[@stacybayer6712]

my mother was a teacher then she sign up to do it which i was so relief she did not get chosen rest in peace

[@lorenzo8495]

@@21centuryg I was gonna say that!

[@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?

[@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

[@Centaurz23]

@@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!

[@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.

[@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

[@Christian_Girl120]

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.

[@rcristy]

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.

[@Placeholdername69]

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

[@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

[@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 🤦‍♀️

[@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?

[@brettwhittlesey6862]

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

[@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.

[@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

[@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

[@rizzo519]

@@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.

[@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.

[@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? 🧐

[@Doom12-i4s]

@@nobodyatallvallejo3672 Nah he’s just a looney

[@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.

[@gerryp9717]

Mike Smith was a friend and fellow A-6 Intruder pilot serving with me and our other squadron mates in Attack Squadron 75, The Sunday Punchers. Aboard USS Saratoga 1978-80. RIP Mike. Hand salute!

[@jockoharpo2622]

Then who was Mike Hunt?

[@jockoharpo2622]

I had a nextdoor neighber named Al Jones. I asked him one day if it was hard do keep up with himself.

[@jimsmith8797]

Thank you for your service.

[@jockoharpo2622]

You wouldht say that if he was still alive..then he would call you out on a lie! I can almost bet you this!

[@zekearmstrong3342]

Thank you for your service

[@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.

[@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

[@webrat3]

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

[@KJ_PhD]

Oh how awful

[@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"?

[@CrystalWings12]

@@mikedlc9766 No one cares

[@Fugax_8]

The Netflix documentary on this was one of the best documentaries I’ve ever watched. It was beautifully produced and it didn’t shy away from the difficult bits. I must admit, I was in tears when Dick Scobee’s wife described their walk on the beach, the night before launch, and how they loved each other so much. I hope all of their loved ones found peace.

[@kromedome0101]

NASA f**ked up BIG TIME.

[@ChassityNOubre_88]

What's the name of the documentary

[@ladesigner8764]

NASA is corrupt. Horrific. Negligence and men not doing what they should have done. Sally Ride is a hero. Great doc on Netflix.

[@jul30ie]

I agree. I have watched the series several times. It’s a story of human sacrifice that should have been prevented but how it happened could, and did, happen again. The series balances it all brilliantly.

[@Fugax_8]

@Jay Boom stop talking shite dude. You’re of course entitled to believe any crackpot conspiracy you want, but stop trying to spread your bullshit ideas to everyone else. There is a fine line between being open minded and being completely mental. I don’t even want to know what NASAs supposed justification was for faking the deaths of 7 people.

[@robertcrist5747]

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

[@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!

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@RandomInternetProfile]

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.

[@amse_]

I am a teacher myself, and I felt so excited about the thought of a teacher going into space. I felt like I was Christa when she was preparing herself for the lessons she was supposed to teach from space. I'll remember her every Teacher's Day.

[@sashhhaa4874]

That’s lovely 🥺 my mother was also once a school teacher

[@omalley5196]

O shut it, your a teacher so your connected to this. People are always trying to somehow make their selves part of the story. I'm from NY and people still say if they took a different train to work on 9/11 they'd be dead. "Well you never took that train once in your life why would ya have taken it that day"?!?!?! They usually have stupid answers like "well I drive to work so if my car broke and took the train I'd be dead". "Well you live in Brooklyn and your job is in Brooklyn, why would ya take a train through Manhattan"???? And they get all upset and say you don't understand it could've been me. If she was a plumber I wonder if plumbers would feel this connection to her like you do. They probably wouldn't be quite as annoying as people like you. Because teachers are so so important in shaping the world. I mean just look a social studies teacher with no special degree was going to space to teach astronaut's. Now that makes sense. I work with plenty of teachers on a daily basis and half of them think their special and important and don't do anything to deserve that false sense of security and the other half don't do anything and just watch the clock for 7 hours. The second group are usually the better of the two unfortunately. Theres a reason students in America are falling behind the rest of the world. And the problem doesn't start with you but you're part of the problem. So stop trying to be more than you are and be the best at who you are. Jeepers creepers you were never Christina. Not then and still not now. And that's a good thing because she blew up trying to be a PR figure for NASA and lost her life because NASA wanted tax dollars to go to them instead of on actual education. They used her as a tool to convince the government that NASA was needed to educate the youth of America. That's the only reason they wanted her. She was a puppet and her strings were cut off her as she plummeted into the ocean. And because your a teacher you felt like her???? I ski, so watching the Olympics do you think I cried when the Olympic athletes fell. And celebrated as if I won gold when they crossed the finish line a champ. Not exactly I watched like a sane person and was happy or sad for them and left myself out of the equation. Be yourself and stop trying to make yourself into anything you're not. You're students need you, not a woman who died in 86. They'll appreciate it trust me I listen to students like yours every day tell me what they want and deserve from others like you. It's time start putting our kids back on track. We're on winter break here, maybe I really need it going off on ya like that. Maybe your one of the great ones, but it seems like you're a self indulgent over inflated annoying person. ***** Fyi, I heard there's plenty of teachers in the Ukraine. So if there's an invasion and any of them are killed I hope you don't die from their pain and suffering.******* God forbid!!!!

[@fishies4lifeobvs]

@@jockoharpo2622 no

[@fishies4lifeobvs]

@@omalley5196 don’t be so rude

[@omalley5196]

@@fishies4lifeobvs who are you to decide what's rude and what's not???? I think I was spot on. And at the same time I think your rude and a disrespectful pig!!!!

[@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?

[@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

[@ShyVioletIsShy]

I was in first grade watching this on TV, some of the kids laughed when it exploded but I burst into tears, knowing it was very very bad... I grew up in Concord too. It was a huge event in my life.

[@ijononvan4205]

Sad, but they are not to blame. They were only around 5 or 6 and didn't know the true sadness of the event. Hope those lost souls are eating their favorite food in heaven

[@normanorman]

@Robert Burley the kids who laughed eventually became adults

[@seaofbees783]

@Robert Burley u do know that antifa means anti-Fascism? Like anti-nazi? What did u think it means?

[@seaofbees783]

@Robert Burley no? How are they “modern day hitlers?? Do u even know what fascism is?

[@shelbistewart3078]

@@ijononvan4205 no it does matter if you died and a 5 year old laughs while watching your death

[@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.

[@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

[@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

[@benubird6125]

I was editor of my school's paper. I ran into a friend who told me that the Shuttle exploded shortly after takeoff. I told him that was a sick thing to joke about. He brought me to the library where they were watching on TV. I will never forget that.

[@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.

[@tagootuesday6521]

Boy I sure wish I could’ve been a fly on the wall in the Sesame Street meeting

[@tagootuesday6521]

Nobody Business do you guys think I literally meant being a fly on the wall? Lmao

[@tagootuesday6521]

Nobody Business thanks for telling me what Pac-Man means, my head just exploded lol

[@yamira.737]

@Nobody Business ew anti vaxxer

[@joeyknight8272]

@Nobody Business you know that you sound crazy?

[@joeyknight8272]

@Nobody Business lol I don't even like TV or spider man

[@mountainmandale1587]

Living on Merritt Island and watching the Challenger blow up from my back yard was a life changing event.

[@fionn8265]

Jeez

[@CravensBen]

I can only imagine.

[@Infinity-pc6jv]

I was inside when it happened making Food for my kids it was a tragedy until I saw it on TV

[@jennifercapps105]

@Hello Mountain how are you doing

[@benhartart9487]

did it make you hate the man? life changing for those onboard forsure

[@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

[@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

[@robinhood6954]

@roro Well said! 👍

[@HiBye-ec8ts]

@roro 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

[@torgejh9189]

@roro You aren't exactly wrong but that has nothing to do with this situation whatsoever...peak whataboutism.

[@brotherlynch6977]

I remember the whole high school being called to the auditorium to be told. Until 9/11, i don't remember personally seeing an event personally touch so many people at once.

[@enugomontoya6050]

I remember hearing that there was audio from the astronauts after the explosion. I heard that some survived until the cockpit hit the water. So sad. I watched it live.😥

[@shaniceturner7640]

☹️

[@mrchopsticks3]

We can only hope they didn’t completely comprehend their fate.

[@Xxxxxx19-p1c]

I heard that on one of the documentaries, too…. that they were alive until impact with the water. The cockpit was intact when plummeting. The horror of it all!

[@dq1275]

The transcript after the explosion is fake, but some astronauts were confirmed alive on the flight deck based on switches and Oxygen packs activated. It was a 9 minutes plunge to the Atlantic. The Rogers Commission formed by President Reagan was packed with a Chair friendly to NASA leadership, but the lies were exposed when Astronaut Sally Ride was able to secretly get and pass on damning information about the O-rings to fellow Commission member Dr. Richard Feynman who used it to launch an attack on NASA and Thiokol. Until that point, NASA and Thiokol were saying the rings were A-OK. These actions have been attested to by the Air Force who served as intermediary to get the information to Feynman. Feynman then peppered NASA and Thiokol into a corner. This "watergate" moment unfortunately was made in a closed session as the Rogers was cognizant and resistant to put NASA in a bad light. Disgusting but the truth got out and the investigation then started to focus on the O-rings and NASA culture. This pretty much began the undoing of the Shuttle program from its stated promises of cheap frequent flights into space. It never recovered. God bless Dr. Sally Ride, Dr. Feynman and Air Force General Kutyna who fought on to expose the lies from NASA and Thiokol management which today we take for granted from the Commission report.

[@dq1275]

@SM Yelgen Yes, Thiokol management, but there was a NASA administrator backing up Thiokol's decision implicating NASA as well. But really I believe it was NASAs fault for overselling a shuttle that couldn't deliver what was promised which was 24-30 flights a year. Thiokol was under immense pressure to meet this goal promised with limelight to Congress and the American people by NASA. It was the only way to justify the shuttle's cost selection over a new Apollo 2.0, in 1970, which ended up happening anyway when the Bush administration decided to mothball the shuttles and return to "proven technology" that would take us to the Moon and Mars. The shuttle was created in a time when the public no longer cared about space, budget shortfalls, Vietnam and Nixon hated Kennedy rockets more than offering true space leadership. NASA also let Congress instead of the engineers influence the design too much which ended up being unsustainable. There are other bodies of work saying there were many NASA engineers in the 1970s who thought the final design of the shuttle was unsustainable and unsafe. They were shut down. That's an oversimplification but I think these were are dominant factors.

[@chrisdooley6468]

I was horrified watching this in school. I remember even back then being a huge space buff and feeling so sick to my stomach afterwards that I didn’t pick up a book or watch a space show for months. Sad time for everyone

[@cfruge444]

My mom was pregnant with me and saw it when she was having carpet laid.

[@stacyrussell460]

We watched it from our school as well. At first we thought that was how liffoffs happened. Then adults started crossing themselves & crying. So sad.

[@THRASHMETALFUNRIFFS]

SpaceCamp movie was delayed cuz of this too

[@virginiaconnor8350]

@@THRASHMETALFUNRIFFS A ride at 6 Flags Over Ga. was renamed too. I'd be really pissed off if some group decided their monument was deemed "wrong" somehow and taken down.

[@SilverCreekRecordsLLC]

I was in the 3rd grade in class the whole school was watching the whole disaster live as it happened. Never forget that day.

[@aghyn]

with all the dark theories surrounding as to why Challenger really blew, that soccer ball thing was really wholesome :') RIP everyone onboard. Salute to you, brave ones.

[@Potaville]

No one was on it! No one has ever been on any of the fireworks NA$A plays with!

[@natureandphysics403]

@@Potaville Get lost, you fucking idiot.

[@natureandphysics403]

"Dark theories." The darkness is the Republican president who pressured NASA to launch so that he could show off McAuliffe to the Soviets the evening after the launch.

[@byyykusto]

They are alive kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4i6k62CbbeHf9E

[@natureandphysics403]

@@byyykusto Get lost, you fucking idiot.

[@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........

[@kathya0910]

While in high school, I was an advanced student. During my junior year, I was assigned to senior-level classes, one of which was a journalism class. It’s that very class in which I watched the Columbia shuttle disaster from. I just remember watching intently. It took a couple of minutes before we all realized what actually happened. Even my teacher was at a complete loss. God bless their souls, as well as their families and friends.

[@kronosomni2805]

No matter how we try, people, along with all things that exist, meet their end, the true tragedy is when the blame lies at the feet of the people we allow to lead. In both the case of Challenger and Columbia, more could have been done, but nothing was changed until it was far too late. There is even chatter that NASA knew about the damage to Columbia, and didn't inform the crew to keep them from being driven insane by knowing their ultimate demise was coming on reentry.

[@MRachel628]

I was a sophomore in high school that year & was home that day sick & watched the tv anxiously waiting for the Challenger to take off, when the unthinkable happened I was in complete shock! I will never forget that horrific moment as long as I live!

[@kahristah]

I am from Cape Canaveral and named after Christa. My dad worked on the Space shuttle for 20+ years and my grandparents on the Apollo program. What a sad and tragic mission 😢

[@Supergoat76]

Named my daughter after her too. Think there are a lot of 80s girls named christa, Krista ,crista.

[@jaymajor7077]

Sorry for your loss my friend and god bless you

[@anotherfaze8008]

No one was aboard. It's all a LIE! Krista still living along with all the others. Already PROVEN!

[@jockoharpo2622]

No you aren't ...You spell yours with a K. Silly!

[@anotherfaze8008]

@@jockoharpo2622 Nice Katch. Was looking at Krista the commenter. 👍

[@ajayfoz7088]

I was a senior at Clear Lake High School in Houston when this happened. Mike Smith's son, Scott, was a buddy of mine at the time. I was getting ready for a workout in the school swimming pool when some guy came running through our locker room spewing some "nonsense" about an explosion. I looked at one of my teammates and told him this guy was a jerk for making a joke like that around here. Then I ran into my girlfriend in the hallway - her father was also a shuttle astronaut - and she was bawling. At this, I got concerned that maybe that guy wasn't a kook after all. Seconds later, our school principal came over the loudspeaker and made the announcement of the disaster, and I almost puked. Workout was canceled that day. We were told over the loud speaker to avoid the press personally and to direct them to the office, if they confronted us, as they were about to descend upon the school. The national media was everywhere for the next couple of weeks and entering the school was rather challenging (no pun intended). I saw Scott around a week later, and he looked like a deer caught in the headlights. I didn't stop him to talk then, and I never spoke to him about the disaster. I lost touch with him after graduation. Here it is almost 35 years later, and the video of the explosion still turns my stomach to watch.

[@Bree-Ones]

I was in Kindergarten at Burbank Elementary School in Houston. We watched it on tv. I still remember it to this day. Everytime I rewatch it I can remember seeing it live. So sad.

[@byyykusto]

They are alive kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4i6k62CbbeHf9E

[@jessier8949]

@@byyykusto. You are a sick sick person

[@static4939]

@@byyykusto u have problems

[@IZZYINN2]

I became a teacher myself because of Christa, May they all rest in peace.

[@AMDERS17]

Patrick Galban someone sounds grumpy 😒

[@SomebodysGrandmother]

Search; "NASA Challenger crew still alive". You will find several PROOF videos. NASA is a huge fraud!

[@nateroberts6489]

Hopefully not an English teacher because it’s *they

[@OldestYoungenInGuidePost]

Psalm40 One That Can See Done that over 10 years ago and then 5 years ago I found THE BIG ONE 😳, the biggest conspiracy ever 😳 Immediately smashing everything I ever knew to bits 🤕 I realised everything was not the way I was told it was 🤷🏻‍♂️ & it felt amazing for 6-8 weeks 👍🏼💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼

[@leebee1100]

Thanks for being a teacher. Teachers are the underpaid, unappreciated fuel that our society runs on. Thanks for putting up with little sh*ts like my high school/middle school self! I wouldn’t be where I am without my teachers. I’m literally able to type this because of teachers haha.

[@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.

[@jeromyfisher297]

I was in kindergarten and our school was selected for a live feed and we all met in the gymnasium to watch. My class mates and myself we’re all too young to understand what was going on as this was our first time ever watching a space shuttle launch. It was truly a sea of emotion which none of us could understand why all the older kids and adults were crying. they dismiss school early that day and cancel school the next day. It is an event that I would put alongside September 11.

[@daftbanana1]

@ dude a life is still a life people still died doesn't matter how many people died it matters that people died.

[@minty_Joe]

That's about the same for me, too. I was in kindergarten and the same reactions. I was confused and kept asking what happened? None of the teachers would clarify. It wasn't until my sister, who is 13 months older than I, came home from school crying and my mom sitting down to explain what happened. It was horrible.

[@robertwyatt2444]

I was in kindergarten to, I was born in 1982

[@faiaflrt]

It was very similar, actually. Shock. Grief. Just no thirst for revenge afterwards.

[@minty_Joe]

@@robertwyatt2444 Are you sure you don't mean Pre-School? Usually Kindergarten is 5 or 6 years old, not 4.

[@JLange642]

"We know what we're doing!" Pride comes before the fall - proven right once more, at the crews expense.

[@MsJinkerson]

The ones responsible should have gone to prison not get a slap on the wrist

[@drexlspivey3766]

Yes ... all the people that ignored the engineer that told them its gonna blow up should have been put into federal pump you in the ass prison

[@GinaBush-gb6tk]

@@litepogo7226 I often wondered why this didn't happen. It was clearly murder because they were told it would blow up. I was watching when it happened and my heart broke for all aboard and their families. Of course, right at that time, I didn't know. they had been warned that it would blow up.

[@drexlspivey3766]

All the people that ignored the engineer that said its gonna blow up should be in federal pump you in the ass prison

[@TheM3TAL1]

None of them died... And the teacher is still a teacher/professor, they didn't even bother to change their names, all been located and perfectly fine.

[@GinaBush-gb6tk]

@@TheM3TAL1 this is how you wanted it to turn out???

[@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

[@zechariahsmith9347]

Managers shouldn't be allowed to overrule the effing engineers of the dam thing.

[@Notoriousnipple]

Happens all the time. Especially in the corporate world.

[@matrix9452]

Welcome to the 21st century.

[@oneoldgit]

Neither should Presidents and Prime Ministers overrule epidemic experts

[@hanknorris5642]

@@oneoldgit yeah, I wish we had some of those epidemic experts you speak of.

[@almac2598]

@@hanknorris5642 Don't forget, an expert is only the guy who is one page ahead of you in the book.

[@slappymckracken7935]

One of the saddest events I can ever recall witnessing - right up there with 9/11 and the JFK Funeral with little John Jr. saluting his dad.

[@franciswesleyalexander3519]

You remind me that I was a student teacher in a middle school in Ann Arbor when the Challenger exploded and I was working at the Ann Arbor News and the presses stopped when we heard about one of the towers being hit on 9/11. I was in middle school myself, 7th grade shop class when Kennedy was assassinated.

[@DavidGarcia-yy8ud]

Francis Wesley Alexander I was born in 2005 so thankfully I didn’t experience any of these events. I can’t imagine what you’ve seen on tv in your life from the Vietnam war to 9/11 as you said. It seems so long ago yet it only happened a few years before I was born. Really makes you think

[@patriotrob7066]

Funny all mentioned were done by our government !!! Truth

[@slappymckracken7935]

@@patriotrob7066 definitely food for thought

[@Jay-qb9gi]

Oh.

[@Tempirance1]

I was home sick from school the day this happened. I was laying on the couch watching the launch unfold on tv. I'll never forget not ever.

[@nsjx]

... that is exactly me. i was sick watching the live feed at home in Houston, not far at all from the Space Center. parents working. a day that lived with me until today. to find out now, all these years later, that those people survived the blast and died in the ocean, makes me sick at my stomach. then my father spotted pieces of Columbia's insulation along the highway when it blew. i almost couldn't believe it when Columbia burned up as well. i remember intense anger.

[@lonerebeI]

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

[@SAMIAm-sm6ki]

Was a very different time🤷‍♂️

[@lonerebeI]

@@SAMIAm-sm6ki What is that supposed to mean? Criminals didn't get charged and jailed 20-40 years ago?

[@SAMIAm-sm6ki]

😆🤣😂

[@Indigo00eyez]

I was 18 and watched it from my room. At first we didn’t know anything was wrong. When we found out, it was so so heartbreaking. I cried for their families.

[@BamaChad-W4CHD]

You had your own TV in your room in 86? Rich much growing up? Lol. Seriously though yes it was so heartbreaking. Our nation felt a unique pain for the first time that day.

[@nichelle9234]

I never knew they survived the explosion... kinda wish I didn’t know that now. How incredibly horrific.

[@Gamble661]

No worse than the crew of Columbia, they were still alive for at least 81 seconds while the shuttle broke up around them, sit in a chair and count off 81 seconds...it's a long time. Space flight is dangerous.

[@springchick19]

It wasn’t something that was public knowledge right away. Pretty gruesome.

[@davedee6422]

chances are, they're still alive today..........

[@storyofcory]

At one point during the evolution of the Internet, there was even a "transcript" of communication between the Challenger astronauts as the crew compartment was falling to the ocean. Of course, it was later proven to be false that such a transcript existed.

[@zimma2330]

@@storyofcory what does exist are photos of the crew as they look today and at least two videos of two of the crew...... those people didn't die. but if youre a student of social studies or psychology the comments below should give you a good look into the minds of folk who believe everything there told to believe...... z.

[@Unapologetically_american]

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.

[@Unapologetically_american]

@@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.

[@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

[@jackieann6588]

I was 4 years old kneeling on the carpet floor watching the TV of this event with my family. I remember my mother just started Screaming and crying. That tragedy is burned into my brain.

[@ladycacti6408]

@Lucia Brown Yes...?

[@graphite5408]

Wgt though

[@jackieann6588]

YES LUCIA BROWN❗️ It was Live TV. The most amazing situation heard of that included a teacher🥺 “Was my Mother Screaming and Crying when the shuttle exploded?

[@graphite5408]

@@jackieann6588 but why

[@missducksters8359]

@supremecat101 0 Why the fuck do you think she was screaming and crying?