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The Challenger: 10 years later

Students remember shock, sadness after explosion

"Where were you when Challenger exploded?"

Ten years later many University students have an answer to this question, but no two answers are the same.

"I was in the fifth grade and eating lunch in our school's cafeteria. And our music teacher started crying," said LSA junior Nellie Peretsian. "She had a small radio next to her and the whole cafeteria fell silent.

"From the radio we all listened to the newscasters and found out what happened. There were 500 kids in there, and we were all silent."

Ten years ago yesterday, children and adults all over the world watched with horror as the Challenger mission burst into flames just seconds after takeoff, killing the shuttle's 11 passengers and tainting the minds of many who had come to trust the space flight program.

"When I got home I remember my mom was screaming at me to come inside and watch the replays on TV," said LSA first-year student Nelse Winder. "They kept showing the explosion over and over."

In memory of the explosion, Air Force jets flew over Cape Canaveral, Fla., yesterday at the precise moment of Challenger's last liftoff. Some 400 people -- ex-astronauts, shuttle managers, Kennedy Space Center workers and many tourists -- were united by their memories of that awful day when the seven crewmembers died.

Psychology Prof. Stanley Perent said society was greatly affected by the explosions because viewers could identify with Challenger victims.

"I think that we see events such as the Challenger explosion the same way we view a personal loss -- it can be like losing a family member.

"Collectively society puts a lot of importance on certain events, and when something goes wrong, it affects everybody in a variety of ways. The Challenger was one of those events," Perent said.

Perent attributed the lasting effect of the Challenger disaster to the surprise -- people expected to see just another shuttle takeoff and ended up witnessing an international disaster.

"The Challenger was so important because it was so innocent. People were naive about the dangers. After the explosion, people realized that it was dangerous," Perent said.

LSA senior Scott Shogan recalled, "I was at home from school sick. I was flipping through the channels and I saw it right after it happened. I still didn't know what happened.

"They were speculating about what happened and then they saw a parachute and thought there might be a survivor. It was a very strange experience."

"The teacher came in and told us what had happened. We saw videotape of it," said first-year LSA student Tad Polley. "We were pretty young, but people were just shocked. They were sitting with their mouths gaping."

New Hampshire teacher Christa McAuliffe, one of seven who died in the explosion, had been selected by NASA officials to become the first teacher in space.

"All of my teachers had been excited about McAuliffe," said LSA junior Mike Yancho. "They were really upset after it happened."

No space shuttles were launched for almost three years after the mission's failure. Since Challenger, a total of 49 American shuttle missions have been completed -- none with major setbacks.

But the Challenger mission has forever left its mark.