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Author
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Topic: Your Columbia Memories
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ASCAN1984
Member Posts: 1049
From: County Down, Nothern Ireland
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 02-01-2006 04:49 AM
   
I remember comming home from work. This was around 12.30pm est and seeing the news. I was devistated. I droped on the floor and could not believe what i was hearing. How could this happen again. I spent the rest of the weekend watching CNN and MSNBC on a satilite system. I still to this day cannot believe it. |
PowerCat
Member Posts: 193
From: Herington, KS, USA
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted 02-01-2006 07:56 AM
I was in my automobile when I heard ABC's commentator on the radio say that Columbia was late arriving at KSC. I thought to myself that this was impossible. Right away I started shaking knowing that something dreadful was taking place. The next thing I remember was one of my college buddies from K-State that lived in Dallas called me and said they just saw Columbia breaking up. I arrived at a mall in Manhattan, KS and saw the images on Fox News and just sat there in shock. It was a bad Saturday watching as a hearse drove away after loading one of the seven heroes that was found. I think this image hurt the most, so soon after the accident and remembering the images of Challenger 17 years earlier. |
MrSpace86
Member Posts: 1618
From: Gardner, KS, USA
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 02-01-2006 09:18 AM
I woke up early to watch the landing. I flip on the TV and it said they had lost contact which I thought was normal but then I realized that it wasn't normal in this day. Then they showed the footage of Columbia breaking apart and Miles O'Brien saying 'multiple trails' and then I knew that it was going to be a very sad day. I was glued to the TV all weekend and I still couldn't believe what I was seeing. It's something I will never forget.
-Rodrigo |
randy
Member Posts: 2176
From: West Jordan, Utah USA
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 02-01-2006 11:35 AM
I was working nights then. I was in bed asleep and my wife woke me up with the news that Mission Control had lost communications with Columbia. Well, I was wide awake after that and watched the whole horrible thing. May Columbia and her crew rest in peace.[This message has been edited by randy (edited February 01, 2006).] |
KSCartist
Member Posts: 2896
From: Titusville, FL USA
Registered: Feb 2005
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posted 02-01-2006 12:10 PM
On Friday, January 31, 2003 we held our annual space day event at the Catholic school I worked at. The event includes a memorial Mass and wreath laying and then a uplifting space exposition with exhibits and speakers.Our keynote speaker at Mass was Brian Duffy. He said in part, "as an astronaut I can tell you that they would say do not mourn for me for I was doing what I loved. In fact there are 10 people on orbit right now who are continuing that mission and seven of them will land here tomorrow morning." (He was speaking about the Expedition 6 crew and the Columbia crew.) Remember that my Young Astronauts had never witnessed a disaster in space before. The oldest students there were born 4 years after Challenger. The event went beautifully and the next day as I prepared to go to work. (Space Day was my day off that week) I was watching NASA TV to see the landing with my wife and daughter. It never happened. When I heard that they had lost contact I was immediately worried because I figured with the constellation of TDRS satellites we had almost no breaks in communication even throught re-entry. When we saw the plume above Texas we knew they were lost. That weekend we held special memorial Masses and a special service where we added the pictures of the Columbia crew to the other pictures of our fallen. Tim [This message has been edited by KSCartist (edited February 01, 2006).] |
OV-105
Member Posts: 816
From: Ridgecrest, CA
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted 02-01-2006 09:06 PM
I was going to work at 12:00 a.m. on the morning of the 1st. and getting off at 6:00. I had watched NASA TV to see if the landing would be a go or not and they were showing the ground track and that Columbia would be seen over CA in the early morning. Well we all went out side and looked to the north and saw it to the north. I went home and turned the TV on. It was a shot of misson control with the ground track over TX. I thought I had got home in time to watch the landing. Then I thought I heard that if you find the shuttle in the Dallas area do not touch it. That made me wake up really quick. Then I saw the the ground track was not moving. Then mission control made another statement wich I cannot rember but all I could say was not again the Columbia is lost. Over the next few days members of my Fire Dpartment were sent to TX to help in the recovery of Columbia. Two of the Captains from my station and a good friend who is a firefighter. Then later on when the word went out the a copter had went down during the search there were calls made to find out if we had lost anyone, the good news was it was not anyone from my department. Myself if I had been asked to go I do not know if I could have gone, part of me wanted to go because it is my duty but I don't think i would have wanted to see Columbia that way or find a crewmember like one of my friends did. |
astro-nut
Member Posts: 946
From: Washington, IL
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 02-01-2006 09:36 PM
I was watching NASA Television and waiting for Columbia to land and when NASA lost contact with Columbia and could not get a response I knew that something was wrong. I had to call of work that day because I could not function properly and all I could do was think about the crew and their families and Columbia as well. I have written to Astronauts Husband, Chawla and Anderson and all three responded with photos. I was at the television all day long. I had the same feeling all over again from Jan. 28th 1986. Every astronaut and cosmonaut who have given their lives to the space program are heroes and we should always remember them. Columbia and her crew-we remember you! |
tegwilym
Member Posts: 2331
From: Sturgeon Bay, WI
Registered: Jan 2000
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posted 02-02-2006 11:58 AM
It was one of those days like other early morning disasters when I would call mom and dad and say "turn on the TV...any channnel". They hate those calls, and I hate making them!
I was still asleep when it happened, my clock radio went off and in my drowsy state I usually slap the snooze, but I caught a few words that put a chill down my spine "Columbia...Texas...broke up....pieces seen..." I quickly woke up said "Oh, s*** not again" as my tv was warming up and seemed to take forever before I could see what happend. I sat there watching for several hours before I had seen everything several times and realized there was no more news at that time. I then walked to the grocery store to get some food, but I think I came home with nothing and spent the rest of the weekend stunned and upset.
Sure there will be more deaths and accidents in the future, but let's just hope the shuttle is done with that and can retire in a few years with the entire 3 shuttle fleet intact.Tom |
spaceman1953
Member Posts: 953
From: South Bend, IN
Registered: Apr 2002
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posted 02-02-2006 06:03 PM
Didn't we do this once ?I got up to see the landing on TV....Saturday morning, I figured I would EASILY get some good coverage since both local televison stations had local news programs on Saturday for the past several years. But there was nothing on....I was up too early so I turned on the radio to hear the news and then I found out what happened.....I hit my hand against the wall and yelled out "NO NO NO" to anyone would would hear....and said "that damn foam", or something like that. I had heard on Tuesday or Wednesday that the shuttle had been hit by the foam and knew immediately that that was what the problem must had been....and I could not believe that another whole crew was gone. And I cannot believe how the world can continue to spin. I had filed for the City Council for the second time.....but the accident took all the wind out of my sails.....I should have withdrawn, but did not. The local newspaper tagged me a "perennial candidate running a token campaign". I think I finished second to last with about 800 votes....a crowded field of 11 candidates for three seats (at-large) with three strong people running for re-election. . GB |
RichieB16
Member Posts: 552
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 02-02-2006 07:05 PM
For me it was rather simple, I was sleeping when Columbia broke up. At the time I was a senior in high school and was enjoying sleeping in on a Saturday morning. A little after 6:00am (I live on the west coast), my father came into my room and woke me up. He told me to turn on the TV quickly and turn to the news. I was instantly worried because this had only happened once before and that was on 9/11/01. As I was turning it on, he said "NASA just lost contact with the shuttle." I wasn't completely sure what he ment (being half asleep and knowning contact with the shuttle changes during reentry). I turned the TV on right when they were showing the video of it streeking across the sky and breaking into several pieces. I looked at my father and said "the shuttle's gone." I layed in bed for a while longer and watched the news before getting up and moving to the living room TV. I felt terrible, I had followed this mission pretty closely (more so than usual) because McCool had kindly sent me a crew signed photo. Needless to say, I was devistated. |
AstronautBrian
Member Posts: 287
From: Louisiana
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 02-03-2006 08:58 AM
I was living in Australia at the time, so it was about 1 or 2 in the morning when my mother called me from the U.S. She said that the shuttle has crashed in Texas. So in my sleep daze my first thought was that it did a crash landing and that there was a good chance that the crew had survived. I turned on CNN International and once I realized what had happened, and I became sick to my stomach. At this point my wife was out of bed as well as my father-in-law who was living with us at the time. They watched with me for awhile and went back to bed, but I stayed up until I had to go to work. I don't recall anyone at work saying anything to me, and they kept their distance from me, much like they did on 9/11. I guess they didn't know what to say.------------------
385th Bombardment Group (H) |
ApolloAlex
Member Posts: 390
From: Yeovil, England
Registered: Oct 2004
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posted 02-04-2006 04:10 PM
Hi Folks,I remember sadly what happened that fateful day as it was Saturday afternoon around 3.30pm and i was back off to work and my sister was visiting and she received a news text message saying the shuttle was lost to which i replyed "how the bloody hell can they lose the shuttle,its too big to lose ?",so i flicked on the TV and the first news items where filtering through and we were all under the impression that there was serious damage,but the crew may survive,but when i returned home from work it suddenly turned that there was no survivers and they were showing wreckage that had landed along the debris field.
And the image that sticks in my mind is the solitary pressure suit helmet sat by itself on fresh green grass and a mission patch from a suit to which my thoughts went immediately to the crew and there families and the fact that it was the Columbia,THE COLUMBIA that was the beginning of the shuttle program and to which one day would be sat proudly somewhere at the KSC or the Smithsonion in Washington!!
But last year when i visited the Kennedy Space Centre and i saw the Discovery taken out to the launch complex,not only did i say a silent prayer,but i was proud to witness mankind and humanities wishes that no matter what we will always adapt and endeavour to explore the boundaries of space and we will always remember the crews of Apollo 1,Challenger and Columbia. My very best wishes to all. Alex. ------------------
"Why dont you fix your little problem and light this Candle?" |
sts107fan
New Member Posts:
From:
Registered:
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posted 02-07-2006 03:34 PM
.[This message has been edited by sts107fan (edited February 07, 2006).] |
Peter S
Member Posts: 101
From: Toronto, Ontario , Canada
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 02-07-2006 06:40 PM
I had been driving into the office on the Saturday morning, when the local talk radio station broke into the regular program with the breaking news . Here in Toronto, they usually broadcast CNN on the radio when something big happens. I remember listening to Miles O'Brien , and when they indicated that she was late in arriving, I had the feeling that something was not good.
I walked over to a Starbucks to grab a coffee, and called my Dad to turn on the TV and tell me what was happening. I guess everyone in the Starbucks had overheard me, and began asking what was going on.
Ironically, around this time in my life I had put my interest in the Space Program on the back burner, as I was so pre-occupied with the minutae of everyday life, and work, and being a Dad. In the following days and weeks with all the coverage, I began to realize how much I loved the Space Program, and in an odd way, Columbia re-ignited my passion for it. I realized that here were real heros, not athletes, not celebrities, but people looking to expand everyone's knowledge of life and the universe. Dying, doing what they believed in. It hit me harder than I thought it would, and I remember watching it with my 5 year old boy, and explaining what had happened, and why. ------------------
Peter
Toronto, Canada |
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