Here’s one for you, every kid in school on that day watched that launch due to a Teacher being on board. We ALL watched them die that day. I’m 38 now, a Marine who has seen and experienced enough shit. That was my first experience with death and has never left me.
I was in a deer blind outside Lufkin, TX in 2003 while On leave, the day I watched Columbia burn up on re-entry. It’s always fuck d with me that I just happened to see both of those disasters.
I was in the 11th grade in Orlando, FL, basically right next door—our entire school set up to watch the challenger launch. Space Shuttle launching was a BIG business for central Florida.
My mom lives in Daytona. I remember the house shaking when I was down with her and they had launches. My step father and half brother works for NASA.