Where were you and what were you doing exactly 40 years ago?

[Franklan]

On January 28, 1986, Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, killing all seven crew members aboard.

The spacecraft disintegrated 46,000 feet (14 km) above the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 16:39:13 UTC (11:39:13 a.m. EST, local time at the launch site).

ChallengerCrew.jpg (371.36 KiB) Viewed 4548 times

[snowingagain]

We watched Armstrong doing the first steps in 1969 at primary school in London. I mean, it was a huge thing. But watching the Challenger burn, how awful for kids.

[bethannbitt]

Not something I’ll ever forget. I was visiting my parents in New Orleans with my oldest son who was 9 months old at the time. Mom, a high school teacher, was at work and Dad and I saw it on TV in real time. We were just so shocked and sad, Indescribable really.

[Fraufruit]

I was living in Virginia and also saw it in real time. Horrific!