Sciencechallenger disasterchallenger disaster photoschallenger disaster memorial

Memories Still Fresh On 30th Anniversary Of The Challenger Disaster

"The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them," said President Ronald Reagan at the time.
Open Image Modal
By 

Reporter, HuffPost

|

Remembrances marking the 30th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster poured in Thursday as people recalled where they were when they learned that the shuttle's seven crew members had perished. 

NASA astronauts Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis and school teacher Christa McAuliffe died after a booster engine failed and the shuttle broke apart just 73 seconds after takeoff. 

Many of the nation's schoolchildren watched live coverage of the widely anticipated launch.

President Ronald Reagan postponed the State of the Union address planned for that evening and instead spoke to the country in a stirring address. 

"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," he said.

Reagan also reminded the nation's schoolchildren the price of discovery: "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."

Two years after the disaster, NASA was accused of trying to cover-up the details of the crews' death, claiming that they likely died instantly rather than upon on impact when the intact cabin crashed into the Atlantic Ocean.

McAuliffe's husband, federal judge Steven McAuliffe, told The Associated Press in a statement that the "Challenger will always be an event that occurred just recently. Our thoughts and memories of Christa will always be fresh and comforting."

On Thursday, retired astronauts, politicians and others remembered the fateful day in 1986.

American Astronaut Buzz Aldrin
Roots Drummer Questlove
Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.)
Sci-Fi Actor And Writer Bruce Boxleitner
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas)
Investor Peter Shankman
U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.)
CNN Chief National Security Correspondent Jim Sciutto
Former Atlanta Falcons Player Jamal Anderson
NASA

CLARIFICATION: An earlier version of this article indicated the crew died instantly. This story has been updated to indicate that fact is disputed.

Also on HuffPost: These Are The Most Heartbreaking Images From The Challenger Disaster

Remembering The Challenger Disaster
(01 of14)
Open Image Modal
On January 28, 1986, space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after its take-off from Kennedy Space Center in Cap Canaveral, Florida, On the picture, Challenger's crew. (credit:Photo 12/Getty Images)
(02 of14)
Open Image Modal
Teacher and space shuttle astronaut, Sharon Christa McAuliffe, is shown in an undated official portrait released by NASA. McAuliffe and the entire Space Shuttle Challenger crew were lost seventy three seconds after launch when a booster rocket failed. (credit:NASA/Getty Images)
(03 of14)
Open Image Modal
Space Shuttle Challenger peering out from heavy mist as it makes its way to the launchpad ahead of its launch on 28 January 1986, at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA, in January 1986. The launch of STS-51-L ended in tragedy when the shuttle disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of central Florida, resulting in the deaths of Michael J. Smith, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis, and Judith Resnik. (credit:Space Frontiers/Getty Images)
(04 of14)
Open Image Modal
28th January 1986: The space shuttle Challenger (STS-51L) takes off from the Kennedy Space Centre, Florida. 73 seconds later the shuttle exploded, killing its seven crew members. (credit:MPI/Getty Images)
(05 of14)
Open Image Modal
On January 28, 1986, space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after its take-off from Kennedy Space Center in Cap Canaveral, Florida, On the picture, the shutte just before the explosion. (credit:Photo 12/Getty Images)
(06 of14)
Open Image Modal
The Space Shuttle Challenger explodes minutes after takeoff January 28, 1986 from Kennedy Space Flight Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida. All seven aboard were killed including Christa McAuliffe who had won a nationwide competition to be the first teacher in space. (credit:CNN/Getty Images)
(07 of14)
Open Image Modal
Space Shuttle 'Challenger' Tragedy Coverage (On TV Screen) - Airdate: January 28, 1986. (credit:ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images)
(08 of14)
Open Image Modal
Frederick Gregory (foreground) and Richard O Covey, spacecraft communicators at Mission Control in Houston watch helplessly as the Challenger shuttle explodes on take-off, killing all seven members of its crew, 28th January 1986. STS-51-L was Challenger's tenth launch, and was scheduled to include the first Teacher In Space Project. (credit:Space Frontiers/Getty Images)
(09 of14)
Open Image Modal
Space Shuttle Challenger crew members gather for an official portrait November 11, 1985 in an unspecified location. (Back, L-R) Mission Specialist Ellison S. Onizuka, Teacher-in-Space participant Sharon Christa McAuliffe, Payload Specialist Greg Jarvis and mission specialist Judy Resnick. (Front, L-R) Pilot Mike Smith, commander Dick Scobee and mission specialist Ron McNair. The Challenger and its seven member crew were lost seventy three seconds after launch when a booster rocket failed. (credit:NASA/Getty Images)
(10 of14)
Open Image Modal
Two unidentified spectators at the Kennedy Space Center react after they witnessed the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, Jan. 28, 1986. The shuttle, which carried a crew of seven, exploded just moments after takeoff. (credit:AP)
(11 of14)
Open Image Modal
This Jan. 28, 1986 file picture shows U.S. President Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office of the White House after a televised address to the nation about the space shuttle Challenger explosion. (credit:Dennis Cook/AP)
(12 of14)
Open Image Modal
Traders at Chicago?s Mercantile Exchange halt their normally frenzied trading at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 1986 to honor, in silence, elementary school teacher Christa McAuliffe and the six astronauts who were killed when the space shuttle Challenger exploded and disintegrated after takeoff. All was quiet for a full minute. (credit:Charlie Knoblock/AP)
(13 of14)
Open Image Modal
Coast Guardsmen hoist the right front section of the space shuttle Challenger from the Atlantic Ocean onto the Coast Guard cutter Dallas during salvage operations off the Florida coast, January 31, 1986. The Challenger exploded seconds after take-off on January 28. (credit:AP)
(14 of14)
Open Image Modal
Richard Greene adjusts a letter as he sets up a billboard outside a Concord, New Hampshire motel on Thursday, Jan. 30, 1986. Teacher Christa McAuliffe, who taught at Concord High School, was a crewmember aboard the ill-fated Space Shuttle Challenger. (credit:Peter Southwick/AP)

Support HuffPost

At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.

Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.

Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your will go a long way.

Support HuffPost
Suggest a correction
|
Submit a tip