Where were you?

Today is the 25th Anniversary of the loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger, STS 51. This is one of my first big memories. Like most school children (I was in kindergarten) I was at school, we were gathered in a central room, and we watched the launch live on television. I don't remember my exact reaction, but I remember knowing that something was very wrong. I'm sure the television was turned off, and we were returned to our rooms. As it turned out, this would become a kind of watershed event for our generation (Jaime has a very similar memory of watching the launch). A "where were you" event, and one of the first tragedies that was spread across the world almost instantly. As such, I felt it appropriate to take a moment to remember it. And I must admit - President Reagan probably put it best -

"We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of Earth' to 'touch the face of God.'"

-Geoff

(The Boston Globe Big Picture Blog has a great post/pictures as well)