Challenger: Voo Final

I rarely cry over any television program or film, but this one did me in. I was 13 years old when the Challenger tragedy occurred, and my school had each class watch it live on TV. I will never forget the feeling of watching this happen real time, when my classmates and I were so thrilled and excited about an everyday school teacher going into space. It gave us all hope that we could do anything we wanted to do if we wanted it badly enough. Then, the unthinkable happened. They actually canceled school the next day to allow our young minds and hearts to come to terms with what we saw.

Like the tragedy of the Titanic, this is a bold reminder that mankind is NOT infallible and is inherently fragile. We may *advance* beyond our wildest dreams, but whenever human involvement is part of the equation, the worst can happen.

My heart goes out to the families and friends of these seven brave crewmembers and all of the others who have perished in other disasters. I had forgotten that they were able to retrieve the bodies of the Challenger crew. Hopefully that provided some sense of peace for those who continue to mourn their loss

RIP: Michael J. Smith Francis R. (Dick) Scobee Ronald E. McNair Ellison S. Onizuka Sharon Christa McAuliffe Gregory Jarvis Judith A. Resnik

You are true American HEROES and I will never forget you and your sacrifice.