Challenger - 30 years ago today

[Eric Mc]

Hard to believe.

[CrutyRammers]

Yes I remember that, proper shocking.

[Twobad]

I remember going into a mates room in our digs. It was half way through the news bullitin. All I saw was what I thought was a successful launch. I was just about to say "What's that stuff coming out the side?" when it blew up.

Truly shocking as I had no inkling or warning about what had happened. Almost as shocking is that it was 30 years ago.

[Eric Mc]

In the UK it was BBC Newsround who broke the news as they were on air when the live pictures came in. They didn't show it live but they did show it minutes after the event.

In fact, as far as I know, only the then very new CNN were showing the launch live on TV.

[Beati Dogu]

I've still got The Times newspaper from the day after this. The whole front page was taken up with that photo of it exploding and the booster rockets flying off. They were later blown up themselves by the range safety officer.

[MKnight702]

I remember I had just arrived at an American kid's house that I was babysitting for when his mum came in and told us.

[Eric Mc]

BBC ran a special Newsnight edition at 7.00 pm that evening - hosted by Peter Snow - which I videoed and still have. It's a pretty poor copy but I kept it because of its significance.

I also have a VHS tape of a Panorama that was shown a few weeks later called "The Dream that Fell Out of the Sky". It was presented by reporter Robert Harris, who is now a very successful novelist.

[Trevatanus]

Incredible that this was 30 years ago.
I remember sitting in the office and the office manager getting a call from his wife to say what has happened.
Feel a bit old, and a little sad now.

RIP

[Foliage]

ash73 said:

"If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat. Just get on." Christa McAuliffe 1948-1986, Teacher and Astronaut.

http://www.nbcnews.com/science/weird-science/nasa-confirms-talks-fly-big-bird-doomed-shuttle-challenger-n353521

[RizzoTheRat]

I remember all crowding in the TV room at school (I was 13) to watch the news reports. Hard to believe it was 30 years ago.

[Beati Dogu]

Yesterday it was 49 years since the Apollo 1 fire that killed 3 astronauts on the ground.

[Eric Mc]

This time of the year has not been good for NASA. Columbia was lost on 1 February 2003.