By 1986, space shuttle launches had become routine, so I
can't recall why I recorded this one (maybe because it was an early-morning
launch, and I thought it would be more spectacular than most). When I got home
from class around lunchtime and turned on the TV, I thought it peculiar that
they were still live, on the air.
A mission delay, I thought.
Tom Brokaw said "let's take another look at what
happened this morning." They rolled those few critical seconds of videotape
with only the cockpit-mission control audio, and the fateful "Go for
throttle-up..."
It
haunts me, still.
My first 100-WORD CHALLENGE! Try it - it's fun!
These remembrances still bring chills and tears. Very powerful 100.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tara. And thanks for taking ownership of the 100-word challenge! It was fun to limit my chittering to a hard hundred.
DeleteFor some events, you remember exactly where you were. This is one of them. I'm with Tara, powerful. And timely!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gina! It's so vivid. I could have gone on and on, but thanks to the 100-word limit, I'm glad I didn't.
DeleteThis was probably the first major traumatic event I remember experiencing. Very well described!
ReplyDeleteThanks Troy. It was the same for me. Somehow, Reagan's near-assassination didn't quite hit home. I was too young, I think. But this was definitely my first deeply shocking world news.
DeleteYep, something to never forget for sure.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Marian. Looking forward to the next 100 words...
DeleteYes, that one does still haunt me, to see those smiles as they boarded the shuttle, and know what happened not long after.
ReplyDeleteWe have elementary schools in our suburbs, named for Ron McNair and Christa McAuliffe (one for Sally Ride, too), and every time I drive past any of them, I remember. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteI think we can all hear that crackly, "Go for throttle up" command. It is seared into our memories. I am a teacher so this was to be a shining moment for our profession. But now.....one wonders how different the state of public education might be today if then, a real teacher had taken her star turn on such a grand stage? Thanks for evoking such vivid memories. Well done.
ReplyDeleteI remember the media's excitement over Ms. McAuliffe's participation in STS-51, so hopefully the opportunity was not completely squandered by fate. Meanwhile, my Maryland neighborhood has an elementary school named in her memory. It's something, I suppose.
Deletethere are occurrences I remember well: John F. Kennedy's assassination, the Challenger explosion, 9/11. Good stuff here.
ReplyDeleteMy first of those moments was the US hockey team beating a vastly superior Soviet team in 1980, but this one is still the most vivid. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteA well timed tribute
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ruby!
DeleteAnd a haunting title!
ReplyDeleteThe one I always think of is Sally Ride. #rideSallyride
Thanks, Kymm! Her death in 2012 was also cruel. Cancer.
DeleteThese men and women were all just so much better than I could ever hope to be. It's humbling.
I think I was a senior in high school. Home Ec class. We watched the whole thing. It was horrifying!
ReplyDeleteMade an impression, I bet. Not in a good way, either.
DeleteGreat title for the piece. I remember where I was, as do most of us who watched in horror. It is indeed haunting. Nicely done.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Stephanie. It was definitely one of those events that never fade. The title was a nod to Tara's calling me out when she took over the 100-word challenge, and the name of the lost shuttle just fit.
DeleteI remember it well. A sad day :(
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by, Ally!
DeleteI remember. It took me a long time to get over the shock. You captured the feeling exactly.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, Renee! I rewrote this thing about three times, trying not to overdo it.
DeleteVery powerful, probably more so because I remember that day so very well.
ReplyDelete