January 28, 1986

I was working in my parents Hallmark store. I was behind the counter, and someone came in and said the Space Shuttle had exploded. I couldn't believe it. Because I was at work, I wasn't watching the liftoff of The Challenger. Truth be told I didn't really follow space exploration, but this mission was different. This mission was the one that any one of us might have been on because the crew of seven contained one of "us" A teacher, our common man representative, Christa McAuliffe ,was selected to be the first teacher in space. I remember thinking later as I saw the explosion on the news how shocked and sad and horrified her former students must have felt as they watched the tragedy unfold live. To be so thrilled and excited one moment as they listened to the countdown, and then as they watched the Giant roar as it lifted off of the launch pad, and then to see the explosion and immediately feel that sinking feeling in the pit of their stomachs. I remember seeing the crowds reactions on the news as they watched from the ground at Kennedy Space Center. As they watched the Shuttle soar into the clear, blue sky, they are all smiles, and then you know from their faces something has gone tragically wrong. For a brief second you can see denial, confusion, and then finally shock and sadness replace the happy, triumphant smiles. It was a sad time for America. We all mourned the crew as if they were our own friends or family. We cried with their families, and I still cannot listen to the famous closing lines of President Reagan's speech without shedding a tear.
                 We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved good-bye and "slipped the surly bonds of earth" to "touch the face of God."