PADUCAH — Children, students and adults gathered around televisions forty years ago to watch the Space Shuttle Challenger launch. 73 seconds after the launch, people around the world heard or saw the first major space shuttle disaster, in which there were no survivors.
In remembrance of the 40th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, West Kentucky Community and Technical College’s Challenger Learning Center hosted a virtual discussion on Wednesday for ambassadors, staff members and locals to share their experiences on Jan. 28, 1986, and memories of the Challenger crew.
Approximately 20 people attended the virtual discussion, including those who had previously interacted with the crew members, such as former teacher Roy Hensel and Paducah Ambassador Jim McElroy.
The Space Shuttle Challenger lifted off at 11:38 a.m. ET on Jan. 28, 1986, with a crew of seven astronauts. An accident 73 seconds after liftoff claimed the lives of all the crew members.
NASA
Hensel said he had a personal experience when the Challenger disaster happened. He was a third-grade teacher in Carlisle County and was one of thousands of teachers who applied to NASA’s Teacher in Space Project (TSIP). During the Zoom call, Hensel showed his certificate for applying to the TSIP.
Hensel also had a personal interaction with Ronald McNair, one of the astronauts on the Challenger. Hensel had written to McNair and asked if he could tell his students what it meant to be an astronaut.
Hensel said McNair’s letter stated that he was “delighted” to hear about student interest in space, and he explained space training.
“Let me add this by saying astronaut training requires doing and knowing many different things: physics, astronomy, medicine, oceanography, geology, flying, scuba, space shuttle systems and many other exciting and interesting things,” Hensel said as he read from the letter. “No, you can’t learn it overnight, but many years of enjoyable, fun study helps prepare one. You must enjoy learning things and seeking new knowledge. Hope to see some of you on board the shuttle one of these days.”
Hensel said the last sentence was “haunting” and “really hit home.”
A NASA photo shows Challenger crew members. Back Row: Mission Specialist Ellison S. Onizuka, Payload Specialists Christa McAuliffe and Gregory B. Jarvis, Mission Specialist Judith A. Resnik, Front Row: Pilot Michael J. Smith, Commander Francis R. Scobee, Mission Specialist Ronald E. McNair. McAuliffe was also a teacher.
NASA
McElroy also had a personal interaction with McNair. McElroy worked at a television station in the 1980s, and he said he wanted to interview McNair because he was one of the first Black astronauts and fought segregation peacefully at his local library when he was eight years old.
“He was a fascinating guy to me, and in the process of doing the story for television, I went out to Houston, and that’s where I first met Ron, at the Johnson Space Center,” McElroy said.
McElroy also attended the launch of one of McNair’s space missions in February of 1984. Two years later, McElroy had to report on the Challenger disaster.
Others at the meeting said they were either in school, working or were too young to remember the event, though they remember the legacy of the Challenger. Although only a few of the attendees had a personal interaction with any of the astronauts, Torey Earle, a staff member at the WKCTC’s Challenger Learning Center, said he has a personal connection to the Challenger accident.
Earle was sitting in his high school science class as he watched the Challenger launch.
“I actually saw everything that went on. It’s a memory that sticks in my mind, kind of like, it’s almost like 9/11 stuck in my mind,” Earle said. “This has been part of my life, and being a part of this now is so special to me.”
Mellisa Duncan, director of the WKCTC Challenger Learning Center, also shared her experience 40 years ago, and how the Center is continuing to honor the Challenger’s crew legacies. She said that the crew members were passionate about education, and the victims’ families wanted to continue their legacy by providing educational opportunities through the Challenger Learning Centers.
“We are located on the campus of West Kentucky Community and Technical College, so it is a partnership between the foundation and the college. Both entities provide a lot for us to be able to service all of the children in our region, and to promote STEM, science, technology, engineering, math, and to continue the mission of the crew,” Duncan said.