Posted on 01/28/2014 3:02:42 AM PST by SMGFan
Michael and Mary Fitzgibbons, like many others, can remember exactly where they were when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded over the Florida sky Jan. 28, 1986. But unlike most people, Michael Fitzgibbons watched the footage of the tragic launch knowing he’d come close to being on it.
(Excerpt) Read more at oregonlive.com ...
I remember it being much colder than 38 degrees......it was freezing the night before, and I didn’t think it would even ‘go’
Therefore, I didn’t bother to drive over to Titusville or the Cocoa Causeway Bridge to get a good viewing or even run out into the backyard to watch its progress,.......just too doggone cold
I was washing dishes in the kitchen with the TV on, and barely paying attention when I realized something had gone wrong....
Then I ran into the back yard and saw the crazy crooked contrails.
Sad day for the families..beyond words........most of their family members were in the viewing stands
........and the space program......our county was devastated
I remember it being much colder than 38 degrees......it was freezing the night before, and I didn’t think it would even ‘go’
Therefore, I didn’t bother to drive over to Titusville or the Cocoa Causeway Bridge to get a good viewing or even run out into the backyard to watch its progress,.......just too doggone cold
I was washing dishes in the kitchen with the TV on, and barely paying attention when I realized something had gone wrong....
Then I ran into the back yard and saw the crazy crooked contrails.
Sad day for the families..beyond words........most of their family members were in the viewing stands
........and the space program......our county was devastated
I was giving a chow call for noon meal formation my plebe year at USNA and got shoved off (let go)... I never got shoved off I was such a screen... then I heard... it was a very reserved meal, I remember food left on the table...never had food left on the table...
Politics forced the launch that day. I read a book about the shuttle program and the politics of who was given the contracts. It was a wonder that the shuttle ever flew as everyone and his brother-in-law stuck their nose in.
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