Saturday, February 01, 2014

Shuttle Columbia



Eleven years ago today, my husband and I were watching the Columbia's approach to Earth and I ran outside to wait for the sonic boom as it passed over Florida. I waited and waited. After a while, I realized something was wrong. Finally I ran inside and the look on my husband's face said it all.

Shuttle Columbia's Demise 11 Years Ago Today

:-(

14 comments:

Sandee said...

I remember this. Sad.

Have a great weekend. ☺

Z said...

I watched your video; I'm a glutton for punishment.
I had never realized the actual shuttle where the crew was was practically disintegrated by the time it got even near the erstwhile landing.
And I think of the wives and children and ..........I almost can't bear what they went through.
Very sad day.
But I remember the one that exploded going UP much better for some reason..........watching that thing shooting up and then exploding and thinking "I SO hope I am WRONG with what I think just happened."
oy

cube said...

Sandee: I remember feeling more than sad while standing in my backyard waiting for the sonic boom that never happened.

I hope your Super Bowl weekend is a good one :-)

cube said...

Z: Hey, stranger. Good to hear from you again.

Yeah, the Columbia shuttle started breaking up as it came closer to Earth. We found out the horrible details later. It was bad enough for us; I can't even imagine how bad it was for the families of the crew.

I also remember the the Challenger disaster. It was an awful time. My husband saw it in real time but I was in an office building and only heard about it on the radio.

It was a bad time for us and the country.

Granny Annie said...

I was still in shock from The Challenger and every space shuttle disaster would be a replay of that for me. That's a terrible thing to say.

sue hanes said...

Cube - I'll never forget the breaking up of the Columbia. I couldn't believe that another space shuttle was gone. Those brave astronauts were gone - it was hard to believe.

DaBlade said...

I remember both very clearly, and watching TV coverage live. I'll always remember Ronald Reagan's speech after the Challenger disaster.

Especially the concluding paragraph: "The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. 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."

Trekkie4Ever said...

I remember that, and it still chokes me up.

What sad, horrible day.

WomanHonorThyself said...

sad but important memory Cube...have an awesome week hun:)

Woodsterman (Odie) said...

Out of control environmentalism caused this.

cube said...

Granny Annie: I feel the same way. Every time I hear about it, it's like a new kick in the solar plexus.

cube said...

Sue Hanes: I know. I felt the same way. The loss of such good people was really hard to take.

cube said...

DaBlade: Those were Peggy Noonan's words skillfully spoken by President Reagan. Those words were just what the country needed to hear.

cube said...

Leticia: It still chokes me up. I guess we never get over something like that.