CHALLENGER anniversary, 21 years ago today... |
CHALLENGER anniversary, 21 years ago today... |
Jan 28 2008, 10:23 AM
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The Poet Dude Group: Moderator Posts: 5551 Joined: 15-March 04 From: Kendal, Cumbria, UK Member No.: 60 |
Hard to believe, I know, but today marks the 22nd anniversary of the loss of CHALLENGER. While many people here will have their own very personal memories of that godawful day... I know I do... it strikes me that that's now so long ago that many of our younger members won't remember it, or weren't even born then, so anyone wanting to learn more about what happened should go here: Challenger -------------------- |
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Jan 28 2008, 11:05 AM
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Founder Group: Chairman Posts: 14432 Joined: 8-February 04 Member No.: 1 |
It's a fairly black couple of weeks really, in terms of anniversaries.
Such is the price of exploration, and the cost of heroes. The world is a poorer place without them. Doug |
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Jan 28 2008, 01:58 PM
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Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8783 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
Such is the price of exploration, and the cost of heroes. The world is a poorer place without them. Doug Very true, and well said. At the same time, we wouldn't even have a world without them...we would have been anonymous three-million year old fossils, never widespread, buried under some forgotten African plain (not that the continent would have ever had a name...) To explore is the pinnacle of what it is to be, to exist as a living, thinking, feeling being; to die doing so is tragic, but also noble in the purest sense of the word. Peace to the crew of the Challenger and their loved ones. -------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
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Jan 28 2008, 04:42 PM
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Solar System Cartographer Group: Members Posts: 10150 Joined: 5-April 05 From: Canada Member No.: 227 |
I can't listen to Anne Lister's beautiful song "Icarus" - especially as recorded by Martin Simpson - without thinking of Challenger. It fits so perfectly, and always brings tears to my eyes.
"Now some are born to fly high And some are born to follow Some are born to touch the sky While some walk in the hollow And as I watched your body fall I knew that really you had won For your grave was not the earth But the reflection of the sun" Phil -------------------- ... because the Solar System ain't gonna map itself.
Also to be found posting similar content on https://mastodon.social/@PhilStooke NOTE: everything created by me which I post on UMSF is considered to be in the public domain (NOT CC, public domain) |
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Jan 29 2008, 12:42 AM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 194 Joined: 8-February 04 Member No.: 10 |
>but today marks the 22nd anniversary of the loss of CHALLENGER. While many people here will have their own very personal memories of that godawful day...
Here are mine: http://www.donaldedavis.com/STSo25/ENDOFDREAM.html The introductory quote in the front of issues of Icarus from 'Stars and Atoms' by Sir Arthur Eddington is well worth reading on this day. Don |
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Jan 29 2008, 04:40 AM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3419 Joined: 9-February 04 From: Minneapolis, MN, USA Member No.: 15 |
That was a very disturbing day for me. One of the few extremely disturbing days I've had in my life.
What disturbs me more, though, is the fact that the Challenger disaster occurred only 19 years after the Apollo Fire, only 16.5 years after Apollo 11, and only 13 years after Apollo 17. And in the 22 years since, not one single human being has validated the sacrifice of the Challenger crew by so much as venturing out of low Earth orbit. To me, that's far more disturbing... *sigh*... -the other Doug -------------------- “The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right.” -Mark Twain
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Jan 29 2008, 05:19 AM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2173 Joined: 28-December 04 From: Florida, USA Member No.: 132 |
The shuttle program is all about low Earth orbit. Why would validation
come from doing something else entirely? The validation came in continuing on and building the space station, unfortunately not without a second disaster. |
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Jan 29 2008, 06:36 AM
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The Poet Dude Group: Moderator Posts: 5551 Joined: 15-March 04 From: Kendal, Cumbria, UK Member No.: 60 |
Here are mine: http://www.donaldedavis.com/STSo25/ENDOFDREAM.html The introductory quote in the front of issues of Icarus from 'Stars and Atoms' by Sir Arthur Eddington is well worth reading on this day. Don Know that quote well Don, and the person behind it; Sir A was born in Kendal, where I live, and I run the astronomical society named in his honour. His collaboration with Einstein is going to be dramatised by the BBC in a one off drama special later this year. It's in partnership with HBO so no doubt you'll get to see it there too. -------------------- |
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