It is also the 25th Anniversary of the Challenger explosion. You know, I can never actually remember Ray's birthday without thinking about it. I was reminded today by this artical on MSN. I have spent some time today reading about the Challenger explosion. Has it really been 25 years? Wow. It doesn't seem that long ago. I remember it so well. I was in 3rd Grade, Mrs. Clark's class. We were getting a special treat to watch the shuttle launch because there was a teacher on board. I remember watching the shuttle go up, explode, and then suddenly Mrs. Clark turned off the TV and left the room, leaving a group of stunned 3rd graders alone to process what just happened.
Reading the articles brings tears to my eyes. I always feel like such a dope when I'm crying at my desk all red faced and puffy eyed. I apparently am more emotionally invested in it than I originally thought I was. Weird. Apparently my 7 year old self was rather traumatized by the events of today in 1986....
“We've grown used to wonders in this century. It's hard to dazzle us. But for twenty-five years the United States space program has been doing just that. We've grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps we forget that we've only just begun. We're still pioneers. They, the members of the Challenger crew, were pioneers.
…
The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for the journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God.'” -- President Ronald Reagan - January 28, 1986
3 comments:
I have very vague memories of watching this in school. I remember it more from a Punky Brewster episode where the kids watched it at school and she talks about it with her dad(or who ever he was) and I think that episode was a couple of years later. I guess I just wasn't that aware of things outside myself at that age.
~Carrie
Are you sure you were in 3rd grade? I was positive I was in kindergarten and since we are only one grade apart, we can't both be right. The whole school went to the multi-purpose room to watch it.
I'm pretty sure it was 3rd. I seem to remember Mrs clarks room. Maybe we had just gone in there to watch. Hmmmm.
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