It was cold, bitterly cold. During the previous night, the temperature had dropped to at least 28°F (-2.2°C). In some places in the world, north of the equator, that was normal for January but not along the Atlantic coast of the U.S. State of Florida, where the average low was between 50°F and 55°F (10°-12.8°C). On the cold morning of 28 January 1986 at 11:38:03 AM Eastern Time, seven brave souls; Francis “Dick” Scobee, Michael Smith, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe, were beginning a journey toward space aboard their spacecraft… their Space Shuttle known as Challenger.
The Challenger 7
Sadly, their journey would abruptly be cut short 73 seconds in when aerodynamic forces tore Challenger apart following a sequence of events that could not be stopped once the Shuttle had launched. Seven lives were lost that day, seven families lost someone most dear to them, a nation mourned then asked ‘Why?’
The families, the nation and the world would learn the causes of Challenger’s loss and NASA would repair the physical issues with the Shuttle and the internal organizational issues that led to a tragedy that should have never occurred in the first place.
When Challenger was lost, I was a young kid who was fascinated by space and believed in NASA’s vision: “To discover and expand knowledge for the benefit of humanity”. To this day, I still believe in NASA’s vision and fascinated by space and all the wonders it beholds. However, the 28th of January will haunt me until my dying day as will the 1st of February, the day Columbia was lost in 2003. Ten years ago, I wrote on this very blog the following:
“Today is a day of remembrance and reflection. A day in which all citizens of our world should take a moment to remember and reflect not just on the crew of Challenger, but on the crews of Apollo 1 and Columbia as well. The men and women of these spacecraft made the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of expanding our knowledge and exploration of the final frontier.”
These words
still ring true ten years later, and I hope for all time. The sacrifice that these
exceptional men and women made should never be forgotten as we continue to
explore the final frontier and prepare for humanity’s return to the Moon and
its’ first landing on Mars. Take a moment to remember, especially if you are old enough to remember, that cold Florida morning when seven brave travelers who began a journey to the stars only to pass through the gates of heaven.
Live Long and Prosper.
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