So, about to watch the Netflix series on the Challenger disaster. Not that this is going to be of huge historical interest or anything, but I thought, before watching it, I'd put down what I recalled then.
I was in middle school - Oak Creek, at the time, had several primary (K-6,) then one junior high where I was (they're up to two now, sheesh - this one covered 7th and 8th grades) then the high school (9-12.)
Challenger blew up in the morning. I don't even remember my schedule - why would I? That was decades ago and I was a kid. I do remember coming into lunch and one of my friends saying "the shuttle blew up."
I just didn't believe him, thinking it was some stupid joke. Ate lunch, bought a mickey mouse ice cream.. thing (I have no idea why I remember *that,*) finished the day, came home.
On the TV... yep, footage of the shuttle blowing up. I just remember going to my room, then, kind of in shock and, yes, crying. That was just... major. Especially to someone who loved aircraft and space like I did, it was just - for my tween-brain, hard to grasp. (Yeah, January 1986? 13.)
I pretty much had to deal with it on my own. I don't recall it being talked about at school, despite this being the first flight with a teacher, a civilian, on the shuttle. And we didn't talk about it at home. I don't think it ever occurred to my parents that this was a shock to me. My dad was up, my mom would have been at work. Just didn't have that sort of ... thing at home.
(Don't get me wrong. Loving household, but this would have been "huh, that's a shame" without really thinking about it affecting the space nut in the house. Not sure I"d have talked about it much, anyway - this was pretty much an era of "A guy showing feelings? Pfft. Grow up, toughen up.")
Once I got past - or through, or tamped down, or whatever - the emotional shock, there was the waiting. Just - mostly "well, at least it had to be quick." Then the... part tech-curious, part just *curious* "what happened?" and watching with interest as everything was gathered, inspected and the like. And of course the morbid speculation that no, they didn't die right away, thinking of what it had to be like having the shuttle explode around you and falling, or tumbling in the cockpit, or getting slammed around while knowing you'd hit the ground...
Is it just me going "you know, the usual teens being morbidly fascinated" with that?
