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

[ladyfox7oaks.livejournal.com]

I was a freshman in High School...
I didn't even know the shuttle was due to launch that morning... all I knew was that my tiny little Christian school suddenly had a satellite dish in the yard, that was easily as big as any of the buses. (It was planned that we would be one of the schools that Christa taught...)
We went to "Big Chapel" that morning. (The entire school, all 250-odd of us, K-12, gathered once a week that way, to be preached at...) And after sitting there for a long time, Mr. DeJong, the head Coach, came out to the mike and very quietly told us. I never saw that man cry, before or after that- but his voice was cracking as he said it.
Yeah, it didn't sink in with me until that night when I got home, and saw the news... It wasn't real to me, even with the pictures of the smoke trails.

[redpanda13.livejournal.com]

Even the smoke trails sort of looked like a special effect. When it became real to me was when I saw footage of big chunks dropping into the water.

[ladyfox7oaks.livejournal.com]

I don't recall seeing that footage, but I was probably in bed by the time they aired that. (Sorry- another 1972 kid, here...:) )
It's kind of scary, when ya sit down and think of the "Where were YOU" moments. Challenger, Lady Di, Columbia, 9/11, those are the first 4 that come to mind.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

That was horrifying, that image. Far more so than the smoke.