Remembering The Challenger

Ladies and Gentlemen, today is a day for mourning and remembering.

They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths,

And they had that special grace, that special spirit that says:

"Give me a challenge, and I'll meet it with joy."

Components of the Space Shuttle

Wind blowing over the ET and impinging on the aft field joint of the right SRB

Crew of The Space Shuttle Challenger

O-ring blow-by from the right SRB

Flame emerging from the right SRB aft field joint

Liquid hydrogen leaking from the External Tank

Failure of the liquid oxygen tank in the ET

Structural breakup of the Orbiter

Orbiter debris

The crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives.
We will never forget them as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye
and slipped the surly bonds of earth...
...to touch the face of God.

[Ronald Reagan]

Call back the cap com, tick off the time bomb,

Let felicity fly.

Armor the air lock, blanket the bed rock,

And kiss the planet goodbye.

Fight back the flight deck, bring on the break neck

Cue the solar eclipse

Summit the sunset, dubtail the dragnet

And blow your backbone to bits

Dear God, I was terribly lost, when the galaxies crossed

And the sun went dark.

But dear God, You're the only North Star I would follow this far.

Telescope, keep an eye on my only hope,

Lest I blink and get swept off the narrow road,

Hercules, you've got nothing to say to me,

'Cause you're not the blinding light that I need.

For He is the saving grace of the galaxies

"He is the saving grace of the galaxies"

[Owl City]

Challenger Debris :

Seconds to explosion of Space Shuttle Challenger written here :

Source : http://www.aerospaceweb.org, and Owl City