Where were you? Where were you on January 28, 1986 when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded?

There is lots of footage of that fateful day, but I could not find a video which also allowed me to share the emotional roller coaster that the onlookers went through on what was supposed to be an exciting and joyous event.

I was in 7^th grade at the time and the event is one that I remember relatively distinctly. We were allowed to watch the tragedy in our classrooms. Now I can't remember for sure if we saw it happen live or whether they allowed us to watch the coverage after the fact. I want to say that we saw it happen live. Either way, I can still recollect that moment when the explosion occurs with the smoke and debris shooting out in all directions. I was in complete shock (and awe). It was like a special effect from the movies, only this was VERY real.

Many viewed the launch live due to the presence on the crew of Christa McAuliffe, the first member of the Teacher in Space Project. Media coverage of the accident was extensive (one study reported that 85 percent of Americans surveyed had heard the news within an hour of the accident). As a 12 year old kid who was a big fan of Star Wars, the Space Shuttle was always very intriguing and this event was quite devastating to see (to say the least). It is one of my most indelible memories of the 80s.

On the night of the disaster, President Ronald Reagan had been scheduled to give his annual State of the Union Address. He initially announced that the address would go on as scheduled, but under mounting pressure he postponed the State of the Union Address for a week and gave a national address on the Challenger disaster from the Oval Office of the White House. It was written by Peggy Noonan, and finished with the following statement, which quoted from the poem "High Flight" by John Gillespie Magee, Jr.: "We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of Earth' to 'touch the face of God."

The aftermath of the Challenger disaster brought about an intensive investigation by the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident. Led by William Rogers, the committee included such well-known members as Neil Armstrong, Sally Ride, and Chuck Yeager. The investigation uncovered a number of troubling facts about the Shuttle program, including design flaws, mismanagement, poor communications within NASA and with contractors, and inadequate safety procedures. Most obvious of the changes to come out of the investigation were a redesign of the SRB O-ring joint seals, addition of a crew escape system, and greater restrictions on conditions in which the Shuttle can be launched. A complete copy of the Rogers Commission report and its recommendations can be found at the NASA History site.

With Kickin' it Old School usually covering 80s related topics and today marking the anniversary of one of my most unforgettable memories of that decade, I thought it was worth doing a quick issue on the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Let me know in the comments your memories of this event.

That's all for this issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks as always for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, please spread the word and also PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the new Fan Page where I ask you to then click on "Become a Fan". Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

Check this out: Ever wonder how corporate or government policy happens? Just read about the famous "monkey cage" example of groupthink development, and I thought it was worthy of passing along.
"Start with a cage containing five monkeys...

Inside the cage, hang a banana on a string and place a set of stairs under it. Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana.

As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all of the other monkeys with cold water.

After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with the same result - all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon, when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it.

Now, put away the cold water. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his surprise and horror, all of the other monkeys attack him.

After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs, he will be assaulted.

Next, remove another of the original five monkeys and replace it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm.

Likewise, replace a third original monkey with a new one, then a fourth, then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, he is attacked.

The monkeys that are beating him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs or why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.

After replacing all the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys have ever been sprayed with cold water.

Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches the stairs to try for the banana. Why not? Because as far as they know, "that's the way it's always been done around here."

And that, my friends, is how company policy begins."
Not sure if this is based on a real experiment (in fact, I highly doubt it) but a good story nonetheless.

Quote of the day: "There's no disaster that can't become a blessing, and no blessing that can't become a disaster" -Richard Bach