[ADXA] CHALLENGER DISASTER

[Trent Fleming]

I'll join in . . .

I was on an "Air Midworst" flight from Memphis to El Dorado (the one that
stopped in Hot Springs) and the pilot made an announcement.  Probably
the only time, in miles and decades of flying that I remember a non-sports
related announcement.

Still a sad day in my memory.

Trent
N4DTF

On Wed, Jan 28, 2026 at 4:19 PM <w5znjoel at gmail.com> wrote:

> I was with my team at a Department of Energy nuclear facility in Aiken,
> South Carolina performing some exams/inspections when someone came in to
> the reactor bldg and announced what had happened. Needless to say,
> everyone’s focus migrated away from the inspections!
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> 73 Joel W5ZN/ZF2ZN
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> *From:* adxa-bounces at mailman.qth.net <adxa-bounces at mailman.qth.net> *On
> Behalf Of *Don Banta
> *Sent:* Wednesday, January 28, 2026 2:29 PM
> *To:* ADXA <adxa at mailman.qth.net>
> *Subject:* [ADXA] CHALLENGER DISASTER
>
>
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> I cannot believe the time has flown so fast, but today is the 40th
> anniversary of the space shuttle Challenger disaster.  Perhaps this might
> be interesting to some of you:
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> Do you remember where you were and/or what you were doing that day on
> January 28, 1986?
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> It isn’t hard at all for me to remember. – *I was there*…… at the Kennedy
> Space Center visitor launch viewing area, 6 miles from Launch Complex 39-B.
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> I was treated to one of the greatest thrills I’ve ever experienced.
> Viewing a shuttle launch live is like viewing a total solar eclipse
> live…watching on television doesn’t even come close.  Unfortunately, that
> thrill lasted only 72 seconds.  Within 10 minutes of the explosion, we were
> herded back on the bus that had brought us to the viewing area from the
> Kennedy Space Center visitor center.  We were then instructed to leave
> immediately as the base was being closed.  I had just enough time to sprint
> into the gift shop and gather a few items for mementos.
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> Although the racks were already almost bare, I was able to secure a
> Challenger button, flight patch, and packet of official NASA Challenger
> photos.  The next day before leaving our Orlando hotel, I found and
> purchased a copy of the Orlando Sentinel newspaper and after arriving back
> home had the front page laminated to preserve it.  A couple of weeks later
> I purchased the issue of People magazine that honored Christa McAuliffe:
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> 73 – Don K5DB
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