Twenty-five Years Ago Today, January 28th...

"I have a vision of the world as a global village, a world without boundaries. Imagine a history teacher making history"                   ~ Christa McCauliffe


Do you remember where you were twenty-five years ago today?  I do!   One of my girls was sick and I had called in from work to stay home with her. It was mid-morning and the space shuttle Challenger was scheduled to lift off in a matter of minutes.  As I sat on the couch watching t.v. and sipping on coffee, I remember telling my daughter that "When mommy was your age, all the students would go to an "assembly" where we would watch every space mission launch on a small black and white television screen." 

The kids had all been learning in school about the teacher on board this mission -- and looked forward to the reports from outer space that would be science lessons unlike any they'd ever had.  
Although we lived almost four hours' drive from the Kennedy Space Center, we almost always heard the sonic boom that accompanied a lift -off... but all was silent on this particular day.  An eery calm was soon to be disrupted by confusion and a sick-in-the-stomach, heart-in- your-throat feeling...

We watched the lift off together - my little second grader and I - and then...
In 73 seconds, a large white smoke  plume could be seen on the t.v. screen. The news that followed was almost too much to fathom.  The entire crew, including the teacher who wanted to inspire kids to "reach for the stars," had been lost forever - the Challenger had exploded. 

Twenty-five years later, the feelings are not as raw but oh how they can quickly become real once more - the images that are being played on tv and news programming bring that lift off and loss back into our living rooms.  Honoring the Challenger Crew  reminds us all of the great loss our nation suffered that day -- and the deeply personal losses the families of the Challenger crew have lived with for the last twenty-five years.

Ask anyone who remembers the Challenger tragedy, and the first name that comes from their lips is Christa McAuliffe, the teacher from New Hampshire who was the first teacher to go into space.  Her legacy lives on in the lives of teachers who were inspired by her dedication to teaching.  Go here to see an example of how McAuliffe's legacy continues.

The families of Commander Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, Pilot Michael J. Smith, Mission Specialists Ellison S. Onizuka, Judith A. Resnick and Ronald E. McNair, Payload Specialist Gregory B. Jarvis and  New Hampshire teacher Christa McAuliff have created a permanent memorial:  The Challenger Center for Space Science and Education.  This non-profit organization has 48 learning centers throughout the United States.

 Today, 25 years later, ceremonies across the country honored the sacrifices these men and women made. 

"May your future be limited only by your dreams!"

                    ~   Christa McAuliffe