30 Years Ago Today Challenger Space Shuttle Explodes on Liftoff

It is hard to believe but on this day 30 years ago the Challenger space shuttle exploded 73 seconds after liftoff. On board was a crew of 7 including Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher to ever go into space. She was selected from more than 11,000 applicants to participate in the NASA Teacher in Space Project and was scheduled to become the first teacher in space. She was planning to conduct experiments and teach two lessons from Space Shuttle Challenger.

I remember the day. I was in 2nd grade in Lake Jackson, Texas. We were watching the launch because a teacher was on board. When the shuttle blew up I remember my teacher saying "whoa" and placing her hand over her mouth in disbelief. We had no idea what was going on just that our teacher was crying and we didn't know why. It took a long time for it to sink in what exactly had happened. Now, on the 30 year anniversary, ceremonies and dedications are taking place all over the country. God bless the crew of the Challenger space shuttle.

I could post a video of the incident but instead of mourning the passing of heroes, let's celebrate what they stood for and were trying to accomplish. Here's video of space shuttle Discovery's liftoff September 1988. 32 months after Challenger. The first trip back to space.