20 years ago today
28 January 1986 was a Thursday, and at T+74.587 seconds I was in Mrs. Parry's English class in Grade 10 when someone out in the hallway told us in surprise that the Space Shuttle had just blown up. Not much else worth remembering or discussing happened during the rest of that day.
Where were you when the Challenger exploded? Lift-off took place at 11:38 a.m. EST.
I was in fourth grade and we'd just gotten back from lunch. My best friend of the time was in my class and since his mother was a second grade teacher he had lunch with her at a local eatery that day. He came in and said he saw the space shuttle blow up on TV. The news was met with fourth grade skepticism, summed with, "You're lying. C--- is a liar!" But it was true, as our teacher later came in to confirm the rumor.
I felt bad for not believing my friend. And decided right then and there I did NOT want to be an astronaut.