Challenger

[neadods]

Today was my generation's "Do you remember where you were when you heard?" moment.

I was at my first job, in a big open space with four desks in it (I would, over the course of my career there, sit at all 4.) Because this was when indoor smoking was still allowed, I was probably hunched over a fan, which I ran every day to try to cope with the chainsmoker who sat at another of the desks. I was probably wrestling with the office computer, a command-line DOS beast.

All I clearly remember is one of the bosses coming out of the window offices ringing our open area and saying in a hushed voice, "Challenger blew up. I heard it on the radio." (Only management was allowed stuff like that.)

I refused to believe it until I got home and saw it on the news. And then I still didn't believe it. I didn't want to.

Comments

[hildy.livejournal.com]

I was a sophomore in high school when Challenger happened. I heard it in one class and discussed reactions in the next. I mostly remember the launch afterwards and clutching the sides of the chair for dear life watching it. I didn't breathe a sigh of relief for awhile after that. More so with every landing after Columbia.

Come to think of it, there are quite a few "Where was I?" type moments in my lifetime from the Berlin Wall to Princess Di to 9/11. And whole generations learning this stuff now as history rather than experiencing it... now I know how my parents feel!

[neadods.livejournal.com]

More so with every landing after Columbia.

I was going to meet my parents and they were watching that on the TV. I couldn't comprehend. No boom, no message, just... suddenly many trails.

[hildy.livejournal.com]

My parents moved down to Florida so they can hear the booms from their house. He had turned on the NASA channel while he was working on the computer in the other room. He looked at the clock, the shuttle should have landed but there was no boom. And then suddenly the channel became very very talkative. I was so blase about shuttle landings I didn't even know Columbia was up and back and returning until I saw the news.

*fighting knitting with cross stitch*

[neadods.livejournal.com]

*fighting knitting with cross stitch*

*comes back with other knitting icon*

[hildy.livejournal.com]

*Barfy defend me against the knitters*