Space Shuttle Challenger.

[Chris Fultz]

25 years ago, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after launch. The disaster had a profound impact on our space program and just about anyone involved in engineering and the way they dealt with risks.

The quote below from the Boston Globe summarizes some of feelings in America at the time.

A quarter-century after the Challenger disaster, the memories are still clear for those who witnessed the shocking loss of seven astronauts.

At a time when space shuttle flights had become fairly routine, the Challenger mission was intended to inspire a generation of students by putting the first teacher in space. TVs were turned on in classrooms nationwide on the morning of Jan. 28, 1986 so kids could watch Christa McAuliffe and her six crewmates begin their adventure. A New York Times poll estimated that nearly half of the 9- to 13-year-olds in America watched the launch at school.

Their shared celebration turned to stunned disbelief 73 seconds after liftoff.

[ParkerF]

I would just like to re-iterate how passionate the people of NASA are about things like this. Everyday, the employees working and astronauts training in Building 9 at Johnson Space Center look up at the mission patch of Apollo 1 which is painted on the wall.

The people of our space program are constantly reminded of the pressure they carry on their shoulders and the lives they hold in their hand. I feel this is what makes NASA so good at what they do.

I wasn't born at the time of Challenger, but I remember vividly as Columbia went down not even 100 miles away from where I sat in my fifth-grade classroom. My best regards go out to the people affected by Challenger, and to all who are involved with our space program.