Comments | greygirlbeast: Thirty Years

greygirlbeast

Thirty Years

Jan 28, 2016 11:54

On this morning thirty years ago, I was getting dressed for a genetics lecture at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. Our little black-and-white TV set was on, and we were watching the Challenger launch. I was watching when the O-ring seal in the right rocket solid rocket booster failed during lift off. It's hard to recall how I felt. I think ( Read more... )

shelby foote, pills for ills, 1985, cold weather, depression, "interstate love song", proposals, lovecraft, titles, the challenger disaster, lost days

Comments 4

sillylilly_bird January 28 2016, 19:01:49 UTC

I was a junior in HS and was at the bowling alley with my phy ed class and we watched it happening on TV.

ladyblue56 January 29 2016, 05:01:10 UTC

Good thoughts for your writing. I hope the weather will remain bearable for you.

Today I was reminded of Christa's quote "I touch the future. I teach." The photos of contrails are etched into my memory even after this time. I remember standing at the TV and being horrified and probably numb in disbelief. I don't remember much else of the day but later in the week having a conversation about it w. a teacher who had a classroom of hysterical kids to try and calm bc the schools were watching the launch.

It's neither here or there, but I will always believe Challenger was launched despite there being questions about the safety bc Ronald Reagan insisted it was to be the backdrop of his State of the Union speech.

corucia January 29 2016, 06:12:54 UTC

One of the few things in my life that I still remember vividly. I was about to head out to an afternoon lab course in college, but decided to be a bit late in order to watch the launch. I was a huge shuttle fan, and watching it destroyed live was stunning, in the most literal, negative sense of the word. Took me hours to fully process.

ponderpine January 29 2016, 08:43:38 UTC

I was also 21 years old (nine days your senior) and can distinctly remember the moment when I heard the news. Debilitated by a whiskey hangover, I was barely able to make it to my dead-end job that morning where I detailed rental cars for a low budget company in Reno. While cleaning the interior of a filthy brown Chevy Cavalier, the classic rock station I was listening to was interrupted by the announcement of the Shuttle disaster and I was truly shaken. In my limited experience in life at that point, there were no comparisons. I barely got the car door open and then puked on the pavement.

I have been following you on LJ since sometime in 2005 I think, but this is my first post. Sorry for the gore.