January 28 1986: Temperatures at NASA’s Cape Canaveral dipped to a frigid 18 degrees that morning..
At 11:38am on January 28, 1986, the nation’s eyes were glued to the skies and to television sets as NASA launched the Space Shuttle Challenger carrying 7 brave individuals, including a teacher, into space..
73 seconds later, the unimaginable happened.. the shuttle exploded on LIVE TV.. playing out on real time not only on networks but classrooms across America..
The following died 35 years ago today:
Francis R. Scobee, Commander
Michael J. Smith, Pilot
Ronald McNair, Mission Specialist
Ellison Onizuka, Mission Specialist
Judith Resnik, Mission Specialist
Gregory Jarvis, Payload Specialist
Christa McAuliffe, Payload Specialist & Teacher
This is how the front page of the POTTSVILLE REPUBLICAN reported it:
Disintegration of the vehicle began after an O-ring seal in its right solid rocket booster failed at lift-off. The failure of the seal caused a breach in the solid rocket booster joint it sealed, allowing extremely hot, pressurized burning gas from within the solid rocket motor to reach the outside and impinge upon the adjacent solid rocket booster and external fuel tank.
In a matter of seconds, this led to the separation of the right-hand solid rocket booster’s aft field joint attachment and the structural failure of the external tank. Aerodynamic forces broke up the orbiter, sending the crew compartment at a high velocity to the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida.
Children watched in classrooms across our area and the entire United States.. It’s interesting to consider if this moment in time, 35 years ago today, began mass trauma that we are still dealing with to this moment..
35 years ago tonight, this was the national address by President Reagan
