work yet to be done

[threeplusfire]

Another teacher goes into space.

That means a lot to me, for reasons that don't really translate well. At least not yet. But I have never forgotten watching that shuttle go up, and explode into sparkling fragments and smoke. How we were sent home early from school, and the horrified sound of my teacher's voice behind me, saying "Oh God." All those years, all those sci-fi novels and all those dreams of the universe beyond our atmosphere.

Comments

[doctorno.livejournal.com]

There are four places I remember in that "President Kennedy was shot" sort of way:

1. The fire at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. The worst hotel fire in Las Vegas history, it resulted in a complete reworking of our fire code, making it a model for fire codes across the US. I was walking out of the bandroom at Hyde Park Junior High School when I saw what appeared to be a giant mushroom cloud in the sky. "Oh, god. We've been nuked!" was all I could think.

2. The day Kurt Cobain was found dead, we were in Boulder, Colorado. My girl was under a tattooist's needle when a Rastafarian busted through the front door screaming, "Kurt Cobain is dead! Kurt Cobain killed himself!" The tattooist calmly lifted the needle, said "Bummer," and went back to work.

3. The day the Challenger exploded. I was walking from one PoliSci class to another at UNLV when students started rushing to the Student Union. I followed, arriving in the lounge to see hundreds of faculty, staff, and students crowded around a big screen set watching as the Challenger exploded into two careening vapor trails and rained parts of itself--and its crew--to the crowd below.

4. The day the World Trade Center was destroyed, I awoke in a hotel room in Disneyland, of all places, to the sound of Howard Stern saying that, for the first time in history, all air traffic had been grounded. I said, "What the fuck?!" and turned on the television set just in time to see the first tower collapse.

Sigh.

[radiumhead.livejournal.com]

Well,shit happens.Things blow up.Before we get to the point where "Star Trek" happens,a lot more people are probably going to have to die.Or we could just stay home.
Myself,personally,you couldn't pay me enough to go into space.

Er, is that a soapbox over there? Can I borrow it for a tic?

[neflhim.livejournal.com]

And it's about time. We should have done this as the first flight up after the Challenger. We need to show that space is safe, and begin using it, not fearing it.

[sykii.livejournal.com]

Gods. We were watching it live, in my first grade class. I will never forget it, no matter what should happen in my lifetime.

[cyniccat.livejournal.com]

What I never understood is how everyone felt really bad for the teacher who died in the Challenger explosion.

Why are we shooting teachers into space?? Aren't the other Astronauts smart enough already?

Why don't they give a fuck about the other 6 or so sorry bastards who blew up??

[todfox.livejournal.com]

I remember where I was when I heard about the challenger disaster -- I didn't hear till I got home from school and my Dad tried to keep me from watching the news.

I also remember watching things go to shit in Tiannamen Square on CNN. I had been eagerly following the protests and that night I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning as the photos rolled in.

I consider watching these events on TV to be formative experiences in my youth. (sorry this posted twice with some random crap from my paste buffer in it the first time)