Challenger

If you're in your thirties or older, chances are that you remember the tragic events that occurred the morning of January 28, 1986. 73 seconds after liftoff, flight STS-51-L's Space Shuttle Challenger exploded at a velocity of 1,977 miles per hour, at an altitude of approximately 46,000 feet.

It was both painful and defining.

A piece of innocence was lost that day. As a child of the late 1970's and 1980's, space program tragedies were a virtual unknown. Unless you were a space geek like I am, the loss of human life in NASA's various programs was not exactly cultural knowledge to the average teenager.

I was sitting in Spanish class at Waldo Middle School- I was barely older than my middle son is now. It was mid-morning, and I still remember the aide wheeling the AV cart into the classroom for the "teacher in space project" special event. We watched in disbelief as this exciting event turned into a nightmare right before our eyes. Some students and teachers fell mute, while others cried. Rumor had it that one of our science teachers let loose with uncontainable sobbing for hours.

My parents' generation celebrated the moon landing in 1969, however that glorious moment (and the ones that would follow) owed its' successes to the initial salvo of the Apollo program. Sadly, Apollo 1 claimed the lives of its three astronauts, set back the entire space program months of progress and dealt some painful engineering lessons exploited through serious design flaws.

Almost 19 years to the day later, Challenger was our Apollo 1.

"This is truly a national loss," "We mourn seven heroes ... who escaped the surly bounds of Earth to touch the face of God." - Ronald Reagan

After nearly two years of investigation, redesigns and testing, the shuttle program resumed flight and the process became "routine" once again. Regrettably, 17 years after Challenger, Columbia and her crew would also be lost at the close of flight STS-107.

Lord, please bless the families of these fallen heroes, who gave their lives for the exploration of space and the development of the human race. I'm certain the mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, spouses and children of these astronauts could use your comfort and peace, as these painful anniversaries transpire. Amen.

Good Night