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Old 01-28-2016, 03:04 PM
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Arrow Challenger explosion, 30 years ago...

That means my week spent at Space Camp will have been thirty years ago, this Spring. Frankly, at the time, I didn't get the context only that adults everywhere were weeping at the early teen dreamers who wanted to go into space knowing we lost the last one. And the folks at Morton Thiokol in Hunstville were VERY tight lipped during our tour. I also learned a lot about myself as it was the first time I was personality tested and we were slotted for jobs based upon it. Me? I became (positions were broken into orbiter teams) Columbia's Flight Director: the top guy for the lead ship of the class that was, ironically, lost in a different accident some years later. But what did all of that mean? I thought I wanted to be the astronaut?

Nope. As it turns out, I never wanted to be the astronaut, quarterback, race car driver, etc. Those guys are execution artists and they're not what excites me. My true desire and skill set is to be Flight Director, Head Coach or NASCAR Crew Chief. My heroes are guys like Gene Kranz, Lee Iacocca and Winston Churchill (cigar smokers all, by the way). Sum? Leadership generalists and my first inkling came thirty years ago.

So, why all the BS background about me when the intro is about the Challenger disaster? Because there was a teacher on that flight and, in my opinion, the reason we go into space...the reason we try...the reason we exist...is to grow. The first person to tell me what occurred, moments afterward and shaken, was a teacher. And there IS a success story -- beyond the exhaustive leadership studies about the launch leading to multiple industry safety enhancements -- to be found here and it's about a teacher.

As in all NASA flights, there was a prime crew and a backup crew for Challenger's launch. Someone, for each position of seven, studied and trained to be able to replace (as had occurred with Apollo 13) a crew member at a moment's notice. Of course, there was a backup teacher for Christa McAuliffe on STS-51-L. This individual did all of the submissions, made all of the cuts, completed all of the training and became qualified. And then the shuttle blew up. "Teacher in Space Designee" didn't have quite the same ring to it considering the spacecraft was grounded and there were no missions, let alone an educator specific one.

But former McCall, Idaho, teacher Barbara Morgan REALLY wanted to go into space. And she never gave up. Twelve years after the demise of STS-51-L, Morgan was selected as an astronaut candidate and, in 2007 aboard STS-118 (some twenty-two years after Challenger), she achieved orbit as a full-fledged astronaut.

Never give up on a dream.

Morgan is now a Distinguished Educator in Residence at Boise State University.
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Old 01-28-2016, 03:13 PM
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One of my regrets is never visiting the Cape to see a SST launch.
I remember that morning 30 years ago.
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Old 01-28-2016, 03:28 PM
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Barbara Morgan's 'ride' is here in Los Angeles.

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Old 01-28-2016, 03:29 PM
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Great tribute, Zeke!

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Old 01-28-2016, 03:38 PM
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One of my regrets is never visiting the Cape to see a SST launch.
I remember that morning 30 years ago.
I was at work in Bartow Florida.

A lot of us went outside to the parking lot to watch it.

The cape is about 100 miles away but on a clear morning such as that the vapor trail was easily visible. I remember watch it split off into two trails and a coworker next to me said "That don't look right".

Never watched another one.
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Old 01-28-2016, 05:37 PM
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I saw the last one successfully launch a few years back. that was a tragedy thirty years ago.
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Old 01-28-2016, 05:45 PM
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Great tribute, Zeke!

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Plus one! Thanks, Zeke.
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Old 01-28-2016, 06:10 PM
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I had woken up with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome from using a slidehammer the day before so I called in to work and went to Alta Bates in Berserkeley for emergency care. I was sitting and watching the whole thing develop in the waiting room, I remember thinking "I can't believe this just happened". About 2 minutes later it was all packed with hospital employees of course.

Carl

Oh yeah, nice post Zeke.
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Old 01-28-2016, 06:27 PM
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Nineteen years before Challenger, almost to the day, Apollo 1 burned on the launch pad and we lost three astronauts, Ed White, Roger Chaffee and Gus Grissom. Grissom was the Commander and one of the original seven Mercury Astronauts.

Just as Zeke has a personal connection to the Challenger disaster, so do I have one to Apollo 1. At the time of the disaster, I was a member of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, the US Army Honor Guard at Ft Myer, VA. Two of the three astronauts, Grissom and Chaffee, were buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery, including a formal procession to the grave site complete with horse-drawn caissons to convey the astronauts on their final journey. As a member of the Honor Guard, I was a part of that ceremony.

Several months later, I also participated in the ceremony conducted during the relocation of President Kennedy's remains to the permanent grave site at Arlington. I feel fortunate to have been a small part of these ceremonies honoring several of our fallen.
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Old 01-28-2016, 06:52 PM
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Nineteen years before Challenger, almost to the day, Apollo 1 burned on the launch pad and we lost three astronauts, Ed White, Roger Chaffee and Gus Grissom. Grissom was the Commander and one of the original seven Mercury Astronauts.

Just as Zeke has a personal connection to the Challenger disaster, so do I have one to Apollo 1. At the time of the disaster, I was a member of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, the US Army Honor Guard at Ft Myer, VA. Two of the three astronauts, Grissom and Chaffee, were buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery, including a formal procession to the grave site complete with horse-drawn caissons to convey the astronauts on their final journey. As a member of the Honor Guard, I was a part of that ceremony.

Several months later, I also participated in the ceremony conducted during the relocation of President Kennedy's remains to the permanent grave site at Arlington. I feel fortunate to have been a small part of these ceremonies honoring several of our fallen.
Neat stuff, John. My folks are buried together at Arlington. Their ceremony was very touching and emotional, to say the least.
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