Don't forget what happened 43 years ago today

[Neroon]

It's been commemorated time and again, in speech and quote and film. The memories and the memorials seem to wither a bit more each year. But ... we've moved on to great things ever since. Here's hoping that the memory will never completely fade away.

Ad astra per aspera

 

[tomalak301]

Does this start a somewhat week of horror for the NASA program. Not only did we lose Apollo 1, but Challenger 14 years ago tomorrow and Columbia 7 years Monday. I may forget dates, but I won't forget the people who put their lives at risk in the interest of Space Travel. May their memories never be forgotten.

 

[Argus Skyhawk]

... but Challenger 14 years ago tomorrow ...

It was actually 24 years ago, a fact that makes me feel pretty darn old.

I didn't realize that the anniversaries of NASA's worst disasters were all so close together.

 

[tomalak301]

... but Challenger 14 years ago tomorrow ...

It was actually 24 years ago, a fact that makes me feel pretty darn old.

I didn't realize that the anniversaries of NASA's worst disasters were all so close together.

24? Ok, it's early and my Math isn't all that terrific in the morning. Can't believe it's been that long.

 

[Neroon]

Well, when you consider how long we've had manned spaceflight, and that there are only 52 weeks in a year... it's not all that surprising. Someone far more knowledgeable than I might be able to say whether this time of year has any particular advantages for launches.

 

[SmoothieX]

Between Apollo I, Challenger, and Columbia, NASA needs to realize it's cursed when it tries to fly during Superbowl week.

Kidding aside, it's bizzare how all of those incidents happened around the same date.

 

[David cgc]

Well Challenger, at least, happened due to an unusually cold winter damaging the solid rocket boosters. As far as I know, though, Apollo I and Columbia could've happened in any weather conditions.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ Yeah, Apollo went wrong because the air inside the capsule was too well saturated with oxygen, and a spark ignited and caused the fire. (FWIW, the astronauts didn't burn to death. The smoke is what killed them.)

 

[RJDiogenes]

RIP, Grissom, Chaffee and White.

Had he lived, Gus Grissom very well may have been the first man on the Moon.

 

[Neroon]

^ Yeah, Apollo went wrong because the air inside the capsule was too well saturated with oxygen, and a spark ignited and caused the fire. (FWIW, the astronauts didn't burn to death. The smoke is what killed them.)

The hatch was also an inward opening hatch, so the pressure made it unworkable under those conditions. They had switched away from the exploding bolt emergency removal method due to what happened on Grissom's Mercury mission.

You can get a bit more info here.

 

[SmoothieX]

I'm a sucker for the early US space program. I've read a bunch of books on it. The astronauts themselves were worried about fire/safety issues. Sounded like the thing was a death trap under the best of circumstances, presumably in their rush to get a man on the moon by the end of the decade.

The weird thing is that part of the reason the hatch opened inward and required so many locks and bolts was that Grissom almost drowned during his Mercury mission when his hatch blew out accidentally upon splashdown.

As long as it's the 28th, RIP Challenger. I watched this live in the first grade with the rest of the school. The whole 'teacher in space' thing. I was 6 years old and knew something wasn't right but didn't really understand what was going on. They turned off the coverage after it blew up and sent us back to class but something was definitely off.

Fast forward 24 years later and I live down the street from this center.
http://www.christa.org/main_page.htm

 

[Mark de Vries]

The fact that the next shuttle launch, STS-130, is set for 7 February makes me a little bit uncomfortable, although I know there's no special reason to do so. But add the fact that Endeavour has been weathering some low temperatures on the pad... It's an uncomfortable reminder of Challenger's end.

 

[SmoothieX]

The Superbowl is set for Feb 7, and outside of Indy and NO, no one seems to care this year. I'll watch the shuttle launch!

 

[Squiggy]

... but Challenger 14 years ago tomorrow ...

It was actually 24 years ago, a fact that makes me feel pretty darn old.

I didn't realize that the anniversaries of NASA's worst disasters were all so close together.

Indeed. NASA's Day of Remembrance is tomorrow. January 29.

 

[Jetfire]

STS-51-L crew: (front row)Michael J. Smith,Dick Scobee,Ronald McNair; (back row)Ellison Onizuka,Christa McAuliffe,Gregory Jarvis,Judith Resnik.



It just means alot to me, a childhood thing.

 

[RandyS]

... but Challenger 14 years ago tomorrow ...

It was actually 24 years ago, a fact that makes me feel pretty darn old.

I didn't realize that the anniversaries of NASA's worst disasters were all so close together.

24? Ok, it's early and my Math isn't all that terrific in the morning. Can't believe it's been that long.

I can. I still remember being in 9th grade first period when rhe teacher from the room next door stuck her head in our room and shouted the news to our teacher. Oddly enough, our teacher told the class "let's observe a moment of silence", then we went on with the day as usual.

 

[RJDiogenes]

That was a day I will never forget. RIP, Challenger Astronauts.