
STS-51-L crew: (front row) Michael J. Smith, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair; (back row) Ellison Onizuka, Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis, Judith Resnik.
24 years ago today, one of the most memorable events to occur in my lifetime happened. Shortly after launch, at 11:38 a.m. EST on January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean as the world watched. I had just turned 10 and like many others, was sitting in my classroom watching with my mouth agape, my mind trying to comprehend what I had just witnessed.
I don’t think I could say anything that others have not already said about this tragedy. It will always be (at least for me) one of those moments where others of my generation will always sit and discuss “what were you doing when…” This event gave me a new appreciation for the brave men and women who risk their lives so that we may explore space and learn about this wondrous Universe in which we inhabit. May the risks that they take and their sacrifices never be forgotten.