40 Years Ago Today Challenger Exploded - Where were you?

[EricStratton-RushChairman]

I was pledging my fraternity and was in my apartment between classes eating breakfast... watched it happen live on TV.

On a side note, this docudrama on the following investigation is excellent. Shuttle pilots realized that one mission out of a 100 would fail but were basically bullied to stay quite. Eventually we lost 2 shuttles out of ~170 missions.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2421662/

 

[BCS PSU]

I was pledging my fraternity and was in my apartment between classes eating breakfast... watched it happen live on TV.

On a side note, this docudrama on the following investigation is excellent. Shuttle pilots realized that one mission out of a 100 would fail but were basically bullied to stay quite. Eventually we lost 2 shuttles out of ~170 missions.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2421662/

I was in a classroom at Duquesne University during my frosh year.

 

[Bkmtnittany1]

Was on a TV screen in my classroom… watched it during my prep period. Unreal… needless to say every class I had after it happened was the lesson that day

 

[Bwifan]

In our race shop working on our race car as it just returned from winning the 24 Hours of Daytona and beginning to strip the car down to start prepping for the 12 Hours of Sebring.

 

[Midnighter]

Was in 4th grade I guess and they wheeled the TV into the classroom for all of us to watch. I had never seen a shuttle launch before so had no idea what was happening.

 

[PSU Mike]

Coming back from an ENGR class to my apt on Foster Ave.

 

[Knickslions69]

Was in apartment at beaver hills watching live

 

[Chumboshifko1]

Grad school Carnegie Mellon.

 

[s1uggo72]

I was pledging my fraternity and was in my apartment between classes eating breakfast... watched it happen live on TV.

On a side note, this docudrama on the following investigation is excellent. Shuttle pilots realized that one mission out of a 100 would fail but were basically bullied to stay quite. Eventually we lost 2 shuttles out of ~170 missions.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2421662/

Not really, but do you remember the ship that recovered it? it was the USS Kittwake. Its a great dive in Grand Cayman, Ive done that several times, I've been in the decompression chamber.

USS Kittiwake - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[scocha409]

Senior at PSU, really busy day day on campus, walked thru the HUB a couple times that day and saw throngs of people gathered around the few Tv's there were at that time, but never stopped to check was going on, or heard a thing till got back to my apartment early evening. Walked in and roommates were glued to the TV, and asked what is going on today that everyone is glued tv's.
A story no one in more recent times could conceive of....

 

[Steve JG]

I was pledging my fraternity and was in my apartment between classes eating breakfast... watched it happen live on TV.

On a side note, this docudrama on the following investigation is excellent. Shuttle pilots realized that one mission out of a 100 would fail but were basically bullied to stay quite. Eventually we lost 2 shuttles out of ~170 missions.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2421662/

cannot believe my response is going too be the same as JoeABluies response but in my lab in the Mellon Institute of Science at Carnegie Mellon working on PhD. Heard it on radio we had playing.......

 

[BobPSU92]

40 years. For f*ck’s sake.

I was in high school study hall in the library. Someone ran in shouting, “The Space Shuttle exploded! Turn on a TV!” Then we sat mesmerized watching the news.

 

[LionJim]

cannot believe my response is going too be the same as JoeABluies response but in my lab in the Mellon Institute of Science at Carnegie Mellon working on PhD

I had just finished a graduate class at Maryland.

 

[psuro]

I was in the Hub. Everyone was staring up at the TV and I asked someone what was going on, and they said the shuttle was going to take off, and then a few moments later........

 

[FG Dreadnought]

Flying to San Frisco for a convention with my wife at about 38,000 ft above sea level somewhere over Nebraska. The pilot told us the news and the entire plane load of passengers was silent other than a few audible sobs throughout the cabin. A somber flight. Our five year old daughter was with her grandmother, she told us they prayed. A sad, sad day.

 

[uh-Clem]

I had been watching the launch from my room in a Reno casino and left to meet a colleague in the lobby. The explosion happened as I was in the elevator so I arrived to see a commotion in the downstairs area to discover what had happened.

 

[massimoManca II]

I was lurking in the Pattee stacks…
with no pants

 

[Missileer]

I was on missile alert in the USAF, 60 feet below Wyoming.

 

[DaytonRickster]

I was pledging my fraternity and was in my apartment between classes eating breakfast... watched it happen live on TV.

On a side note, this docudrama on the following investigation is excellent. Shuttle pilots realized that one mission out of a 100 would fail but were basically bullied to stay quite. Eventually we lost 2 shuttles out of ~170 missions.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2421662/

Tragic

 

[Bob2022]

Skiing on Cammelback mountain in Tannersville. One of the coldest days I’ve ever experienced. We didn’t last long that day.

 

[SouthHalls410]

In high school watching it live. Go to basketball practice after school and find out that our one coach’s parents were there and saw it happen live. Tragic. As a young girl I looked up to the women on that mission.

 

[84lion]

I was at work, less than 2 years into a 37+ year career. My boss at the time (who I never really did care for), came into our room and told us that the shuttle had exploded. I think we were all like, "no way," but, sadly, it was true.

 

[EricStratton-RushChairman]

Another side note, when second shittle exploded it was over north Texas... i lived in Plano and was out walking my dog and heard what i thought was thunder but no clouds in the sky. Wasn't until a little while longer people all over north Texas reported hearing it explode

 

[1995PSUGrad]

I was in my 8th grade social studies class watching it on tv. We didn't really comprehend what was happening.

 

[Nits1989]

I was a second semester freshman at PSU University Park. I learned about it as I was walking through East Halls.

 

[GSPVik]

In the office. Pulaski Building, Washington D.C., HQ US Army Corps of Engineers. Don't remember how we found out but I remember exactly where I was standing.

 

[LB99]

I was in third grade. We had been at PE class and when we came back to the classroom kids started to talk about it. Ironically, the kid that broke it to us first, I didn’t believe, because he tended to get in trouble a lot and I didn’t trust him.

 

[LB99]

In our race shop working on our race car as it just returned from winning the 24 Hours of Daytona and beginning to strip the car down to start prepping for the 12 Hours of Sebring.

View attachment 1167916

Holbert’s?

 

[Psumatt85]

I was pledging my fraternity and was in my apartment between classes eating breakfast... watched it happen live on TV.

On a side note, this docudrama on the following investigation is excellent. Shuttle pilots realized that one mission out of a 100 would fail but were basically bullied to stay quite. Eventually we lost 2 shuttles out of ~170 missions.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2421662/

In training for my first post college job. Working second shift, and didn’t hear about it til I came in. Wow, 40 years

 

[Bwifan]

Holbert’s?

Correct

 

[razpsu]

Sophomore at psu. Watched it and was shocked. Think I was at my parents house when I watched it. Stayed home that semester.

 

[Big_O]

At work in the main radiology department reading room (first year resident).

 

[WSTLion87]

A junior in high school. We got out early that day.

 

[Parkland Fan]

A junior in high school. We got out early that day.

I was in an assembly plant at Mack Trucks in Allentown. I can still remember the specific spot and the face of the lift truck driver who stopped to tell me. And his name.

 

[Tom McAndrew]

A good read, and a winner of several national book prizes in 2024:

 

[Nittany.Lion]

I was working on a construction project in Boca Raton. If I were looking to the north at the time of the launch, I could have seen it live, as one would from about 150 miles away on a clear day.

 

[Connorpozlee]

I was in the bathroom, battling throwing up and crapping my pants from nerves as we prepared to ride the bus to a middle school wrestlung meet. Nothing ever got my nerves like those. I remember hearing about it from the bathroom stall.

 

[SkiSkiSki]

Incirlik AB, Turkey. Probably at the bowling alley based on the time difference with the US. Didn't get to see the video until days later as live TV was limited on base back then. Most of our TV shows were reruns of old series that probably weren't all that popular in their heyday. I saw the 1986 PSU/Oklahoma Orange Bowl a week after it happened, though I did get to stay up until 4AM to listen to it live on Armed Forces Radio. Ah, the good old pre-everyone-has-the-Internet days.

 

[Catch1lion]

Incirlik AB, Turkey. Probably at the bowling alley based on the time difference with the US. Didn't get to see the video until days later as live TV was limited on base back then. Most of our TV shows were reruns of old series that probably weren't all that popular in their heyday. I saw the 1986 PSU/Oklahoma Orange Bowl a week after it happened, though I did get to stay up until 4AM to listen to it live on Armed Forces Radio. Ah, the good old pre-everyone-has-the-Internet days.

My dad was in Izmir in 86.

 

[Beachwineguy]

Watching at home on a snow day. We had an assembly planned to watch it because one of my teachers was a finalist for the Space Shuttle program and trained with Christa McCauliffe.