January 28, 1986
By PaulWe will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them — this morning, as they prepared for their journey, and waved good-bye, and “slipped the surly bonds of earth” to “touch the face of God.”
On January 28, 1986, I was a college junior in the middle of winter break, working in the campus bookstore. As I was pushing a cart load of used books from the warehouse someone came out and said, “The Space Shuttle exploded!” I dashed over to the student union and learned that person was terribly correct.
Before I was a movie geek, I was a space geek. I still am but, sadly, there’s a lot less space travel these days to be geeky about. On that horrible Tuesday, 20 years ago today, watching those two lonely exhaust trails spiral away from a cloud of smoke and debris was a like a kick to the gut.
Anyway, I just had to pay tribute to seven individuals who gave their lives for the belief that discovery is the greatest adventure.
About the author:
Paul's cat has violent mood swings between ennui and apathy.
