Another sad day in space history

[Boomerang]

As some of you may or may not have realised and as Vincent pointed out yesterday today is another sad anniversary in space history. 17 years ago today millions watched live on television as the space shuttle challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff killing its 7 member crew and delaying the shuttle program more than 2 years. I for one will never forget watching it live in total disbelief. The crew included 6 astronauts Dick Scobee, Mike Smith, Elison Onizuka, Judy Resnik, Ron McNair, Greg Jarvis, and a primary school teacher Christa McAuliffe who was to be the first teacher in space and the first in a long line of citizen astronauts. The Accident changed the shuttle program and NASA greatly and our space program is safer for it. Just remember to take some time today and remember what happened. Below is an article on space.com that has info on the current shuttle crews activities and mentions some of the ceremonies going on today to commemorate the crew of chalenger STS-51L.
http://space.com/missionlaunches/sts107 ... 30127.html

[Benji]

Space travel is a dangerous business. The public thinks of shuttle launches as routine. As soon as NASA starts thinking the same way, things like this happen. We can't forget easily avoidable incidents like these. They remind us of the risks we run and the precautions that we must take.

The comet in the mission control emblem above was added as a reminder of these inherent risks and to symbolize those who paid the ultimate price to give us this reminder.

In an effort to preserve the saftey of the crew, NASA's top mission priority, we must not forget Challenger and her last crew.

[ISSpaceGirl]

I don't know about the rest of you, but to me all the risks are definitly worth the possible reward. I am very open about wanting to be an astronaut and when I tell most people the first question I get is ''what if you were in an accident like challenger?". I always say that at least I would have died happy, which is saying a lot. Almost everyone else I know who wants to be an astranaut agrees whole heartedly with me. What do you guys think?

[Boomerang]

Both posts were verry well put. Benji i especially liked your use of the images in the post. Every astronaut who has ever flown or will ever fly into space know the dangers they face. And to be an astronaut is to accept those risk and to live with them on a daily basis. Unfortunately sometimes we think of space flight as routine and then something like Challenger or Apollo 1 happens to remind us that space travel is the most dangerous business in the world. I think Gus Grissom said it best a month before his death in the apollo 1 fire. He said that the exploration of space is worth the risk of human life because our natural God Given curiosoty will lead us to go their. And that we should acept those risk and if something happens we should move on. Sorry i'm paraphrasing a bit because i dont have the exact quote right in front of me. This was a verry ironic statement since only a month later he was killed preparing for the first Apollo flight.

[Benji]

It was kinda ironic. Gus certainly knew the risks. The sad/stupid thing is that he and his crewmates died during a simple test. They were just a few hundred feet off the ground. The astronauts didn't like the Apollo spacecraft at all (they didn't think it was safe enough), but I'm sure he wan't expecting anything like that. Their deaths weren't in vain, though. The capsule got a complete redesign. But I'm getting off topic...

[Boomerang]

Well as far as the risks in space flight goes i also remember a quote from Deke Slayton's book Moon Shot. He was talking about John Glenns upcoming flight on the unpredictable Atlas rocket. I think it demonstrates well the feeling of the astr5onauts reguarding the danger of space flight and thae idea that no matter what happens space exploration should continue. Slayton said "To us the situation was pretty simple. Their was a mission to be flown. It was dangerous. If John didnt make it there would be 6 of us left. And don't kid yourself as soon as the funeral was over we'd be lining up to take the next ride" I think that quote says alot.

[Boomerang]

Well i thought it apropriate to include this on this topic. Below you will find a copy of the speach Ronald Reagan gave to the nation on Jannuary 28, 1986.

Ladies and gentlemen, I'd planned to speak to you tonight to report on the state of the Union, but the events of earlier today have led me to change those plans. Today is a day for mourning and remembering. Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger. We know we share this pain with all of the people of our country. This is truly a national loss.

Nineteen years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground. But we've never lost an astronaut in flight; we've never had a tragedy like this. And perhaps we've forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the shuttle. But they, the Challenger Seven, were aware of the dangers, but overcame them and did their jobs brilliantly. We mourn seven heroes: Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe. We mourn their loss as a nation together.

For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss, and we're thinking about you so very much. Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, ``Give me a challenge, and I'll meet it with joy.'' They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. They wished to serve, and they did. They served all of us. We've grown used to wonders in this century. It's hard to dazzle us. But for 25 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.

And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle's takeoff. I know it is hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It's all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's horizons. The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them.

I've always had great faith in and respect for our space program, and what happened today does nothing to diminish it. We don't hide our space program. We don't keep secrets and cover things up. We do it all up front and in public. That's the way freedom is, and we wouldn't change it for a minute. We'll continue our quest in space. There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space. Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue. I want to add that I wish I could talk to every man and woman who works for NASA or who worked on this mission and tell them: ``Your dedication and professionalism have moved and impressed us for decades. And we know of your anguish. We share it.''

There's a coincidence today. On this day 390 years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast of Panama. In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans, and an historian later said, ``He lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it.'' Well, today we can say of the Challenger crew: Their dedication was, like Drake's, complete.

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 their journey and waved goodbye and ``slipped the surly bonds of earth'' to ``touch the face of God.''

Note: The President spoke at 5 p.m. from the Oval Office at the White House. The address was broadcast live on nationwide radio and television.

[Boomerang]

OK one more speach. Below is the speach Ronald Reagan gave at the memorial service to the challenger crew in Houston on Jannuary 31, 1986.



We come together today to mourn the loss of seven brave Americans, to share the grief that we all feel, and, perhaps in that sharing, to find the strength to bear our sorrow and the courage to look for the seeds of hope. Our nation's loss is first a profound personal loss to the family and the friends and the loved ones of our shuttle astronauts. To those they left behind -- the mothers, the fathers, the husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, yes, and especially the children -- all of America stands beside you in your time of sorrow.

What we say today is only an inadequate expression of what we carry in our hearts. Words pale in the shadow of grief; they seem insufficient even to measure the brave sacrifice of those you loved and we so admired. Their truest testimony will not be in the words we speak, but in the way they led their lives and in the way they lost their lives -- with dedication, honor, and an unquenchable desire to explore this mysterious and beautiful universe.

The best we can do is remember our seven astronauts, our Challenger Seven, remember them as they lived, bringing life and love and joy to those who knew them and pride to a nation. They came from all parts of this great country -- from South Carolina to Washington State; Ohio to Mohawk, New York; Hawaii to North Carolina to Concord, New Hampshire. They were so different; yet in their mission, their quest, they held so much in common.

We remember Dick Scobee, the commander who spoke the last words we heard from the space shuttle Challenger. He served as a fighter pilot in Vietnam earning many medals for bravery and later as a test pilot of advanced aircraft before joining the space program. Danger was a familiar companion to Commander Scobee.

We remember Michael Smith, who earned enough medals as a combat pilot to cover his chest, including the Navy Distinguished Flying Cross, three Air Medals, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star in gratitude from a nation he fought to keep free.

We remember Judith Resnik, known as J.R. to her friends, always smiling, always eager to make a contribution, finding beauty in the music she played on her piano in her off-hours.

We remember Ellison Onizuka, who as a child running barefoot through the coffee fields and macadamia groves of Hawaii dreamed of someday traveling to the Moon. Being an Eagle Scout, he said, had helped him soar to the impressive achievements of his career.

We remember Ronald McNair, who said that he learned perseverance in the cotton fields of South Carolina. His dream was to live aboard the space station, performing experiments and playing his saxophone in the weightlessness of space. Well, Ron, we will miss your saxophone; and we will build your space station.

We remember Gregory Jarvis. On that ill-fated flight he was carrying with him a flag of his university in Buffalo, New York -- a small token, he said, to the people who unlocked his future.

We remember Christa McAuliffe, who captured the imagination of the entire Nation; inspiring us with her pluck, her restless spirit of discovery; a teacher, not just to her students but to an entire people, instilling us all with the excitement of this journey we ride into the future.

We will always remember them, these skilled professionals, scientists, and adventurers, these artists and teachers and family men and women; and we will cherish each of their stories, stories of triumph and bravery, stories of true American heroes. On the day of the disaster, our nation held a vigil by our television sets. In one cruel moment our exhilaration turned to horror; we waited and watched and tried to make sense of what we had seen. That night I listened to a call-in program on the radio; people of every age spoke of their sadness and the pride they felt in our astronauts.

Across America we are reaching out, holding hands, and finding comfort in one another. The sacrifice of your loved ones has stirred the soul of our nation and through the pain our hearts have been opened to a profound truth: The future is not free; the story of all human progress is one of a struggle against all odds. We learned again that this America, which Abraham Lincoln called the last, best hope of man on Earth, was built on heroism and noble sacrifice. It was built by men and women like our seven star voyagers, who answered a call beyond duty, who gave more than was expected or required, and who gave it little thought to worldly reward.

We think back to the pioneers of an earlier century, the sturdy souls who took their families and their belongings and set out into the frontier of the American West. Often they met with terrible hardship. Along the Oregon Trail, you could still see the grave markers of those who fell on the way, but grief only steeled them to the journey ahead. Today the frontier is space and the boundaries of human knowledge. Sometimes when we reach for the stars, we fall short. But we must pick ourselves up again and press on despite the pain. Our nation is indeed fortunate that we can still draw on immense reservoirs of courage, character, and fortitude; that we're still blessed with heroes like those of the space shuttle Challenger.

Dick Scobee knew that every launching of a space shuttle is a technological miracle. And he said, ``If something ever does go wrong, I hope that doesn't mean the end to the space shuttle program.'' Every family member I talked to asked specifically that we continue the program, that that is what their departed loved one would want above all else. We will not disappoint them. Today we promise Dick Scobee and his crew that their dream lives on, that the future they worked so hard to build will become reality. The dedicated men and women of NASA have lost seven members of their family. Still, they, too, must forge ahead with a space program that is effective, safe, and efficient, but bold and committed. Man will continue his conquest of space. To reach out for new goals and ever greater achievements -- that is the way we shall commemorate our seven Challenger heroes.

Dick, Mike, Judy, El, Ron, Greg, and Christa -- your families and your country mourn your passing. We bid you goodbye; we will never forget you. For those who knew you well and loved you, the pain will be deep and enduring. A nation, too, will long feel the loss of her seven sons and daughters, her seven good friends. We can find consolation only in faith, for we know in our hearts that you who flew so high and so proud now make your home beyond the stars, safe in God's promise of eternal life.

May God bless you all and give you comfort in this difficult time.

Note: The President spoke at 11:53 a.m. on the mall in front of the Avionics Building at the Johnson Space Center. Prior to the memorial service, he met with the families of Francis R. Scobee, Michael J. Smith, Ellison S. Onizuka, Ronald E. McNair, Gregory B. Jarvis, and Sharon Christa McAuliffe. Judith A. Resnik's family attended a memorial service in Akron, OH. Following his remarks, the President spoke briefly with individual family members of the ``Challenger'' crew. He then went to Camp David, MD, for the weekend.

[ApolloXI]

Yesterday I was going to post some stuff on Challenger but I chose to have a day of silence. I think that with the training they had pre and post Challenger the crews of shuttles now that their is a thin line of life. But like Pearl Harbor, Apollo 1, 9/11/01 we learned from your mistakes of thinking nothing will happen to us in the US or the space program. Apollo 1 is still being attacked by the Grissom Family. They say that the problem of the test was a cover up. From what I have studied for school reports that the only thing that would be covered that the crew and the engeeirs had fought over many of differnt of things such as bad wiring. One moon landing hoax believer say that NASA killed the crew of Apollo 1 because Gus was going to leak info. about the moon landing being a hoax. The person also say that Sharon Christa McAuliffe (the teacher on board) was also going to leak moon landing hoax info. The Grissom family also says that they have viewed the command module have proof of a cover up. The family now wants to have a team of expercts to come in and prove the facts they have presented. But they say that NASA will not let them do so. From one source he said that NASA had buried the capulse. On a speical NOVA epi. they had shown the capusle above ground in a storage trailer. They had mentioned that the command modlue was at easly accessible. They had also said that NASA has never said that they wouldn't let a outside infestagtion team to look at it. I probally never become astronaut because medical reasons but if for some reason I do I know that I could be dead at any moment but their are many backups and people to prevent that from happening. I hope next year we can all not write post on hab1 as a day of silence or even better we could do the 27 and 28 for the Crews of Apollo 1 and Challenger.

[Boomerang]

Well i understand your reason for not posting but i felt it was important to remind people because it seems to be easy for most to forget those tragic days. As For Apollo 1. Nothing has really been covered up as far as the crew arguing with the engineers about the design of the CM infact it's well known. Grissom even went as far as to hang a lemon on the simulator. Also i've seen the same Nova special and know exactly where the Apollo 1 CM is. The building they showed is at NASA Langley Research center in Hampton Virginia. Its been dissasebbled into several large pieces including the Outer shell, inner pressure vessel and heat shield. Also most of its internal components are in the same building in boxes. Ironicly the building is near the Lunar Landing Training Facility where all the Apollo astronauts including Grissom trained to land on the moon. There was a plan to move the CM to Kennedy Space Center to be stored with the Challenger wreckage but they decided against it and has remained at Langley since the 60's. I know someone whos actually seen it during the 80s he said it amazed him how bad it was from such a fast event, he said it was almost unrecokgnisable as an apollo space craft inside anymore. The building is hardly ever entered anymore the NOVA special was a rare event and as you could tell when they opened the door it hadnt been opened for some time. So for now there it stays.