Those Moments - Challenger Disaster

Thirty years ago today the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after taking off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It became one of my "Where were you when?" moments.

I was sitting in the library with my classmates watching the launch on television. We were excited by the prospect of a teacher, and ordinary person (astronauts were extrodinary) being launched into space. The media had been hyping the mission for weeks. We all watched in anticipation. Up it went and then it was gone.

I don't remember who I was sitting with that day. I don't remember what channel we were watching (this was before cable tv and internet). I do remember the on air reports hesitating to announce that the shuttle was gone and that those seven people were dead.

Almost 18 months later, on a class trip to Washington DC, we visited Arlington National Cemetery and saw the memorial to those men and women.

In 2008, I visited Arlington again and the Challenger memorial had been joined by another, honoring the astronauts of the Columbia disaster in 2003. 

Two similar events, (Challenger exploded shortly after take off. Columbia shortly before landing) seventeen years apart that really bookend the shuttle program in the United States. Thirty years ago the prosepct of going into space was exciting and captured the interest of people. Today, it probably never crosses my students' minds.

The Challenger disaster keeps coming back into my life. It' one of "those moments." Last summer while visiting the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama I found a wall of mission patches and pins for sale. I love label pins and I wanted one, but only one. I wanted the pin from that day in 1986. It took some searching, but I found it. 

Rest in peace Challenger Crew. You are not forgotten.

Michigan - Day 6

After one last meal - group breakfast - everyone headed in their own directions until next year. We packed up our stuff and returned to Grand Rapids. We couldn't check into our hotel early, so we headed downtown to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum.

This was the first Presidential Museum I had visited, and I was impressed. Gerald Ford is a presidential anomaly. He was never elected to be vice-president or president, yet he had to see our country through a very difficult time. The museum had a nice exhibit on his growing up years in Grand Rapids, his tenure in the House of Representatives, and his presidency. The museum grounds also house the graves of President and Mrs. Ford.

After leaving the museum we wanted a late lunch/snack and stumbled on Founders Brewing Coumpany. They have a really nice taproom. Really good food and beer. I had a glass of Rubaeus, their seasonal raspberry ale, and we split the beer cheese dip. I have a feeling we'll be back before we go home.

Once we checked into our hotel and got settled, we drove around Grand Rapids a bit. We decided we needed one more snack before calling it a night, and ended up at Smokey Bones. We had eaten at a Smokey Bones in Louisville a few years ago, but decided to skip a large meal and snack on appetizers this evening.