Nation watched space shuttle Challenger explode 73 seconds after liftoff

Ogden - The Challenger disaster was the first "where were you?" Moment for the children in the class-school now in their 30s. The wheels are televisions in the classrooms so they can see the teacher of first sent into space.

I remember when it blew up, we are all familiar with the teacher, because we knew that did not happen, "said Patricia Corrales, 36 was in sixth grade when the Challenger exploded.

She had tears streaming down her face. I will never forget the look on my teacher and is waiting for her to tell me he was fine.

The space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds into its mission 25 years ago today. The disaster killed seven astronauts and define the space shuttle program back two years. This led to changes in rocket booster engines were built as Morton Thiokol, now ATK Space Systems, in Utah, and forced a complete revision of the NASA launch decisions have been made.

The launch of the Challenger was on national television, as an astronaut Christa McAuliffe, a teacher from high school in New Hampshire. Shuttle launches were so natural and apparently safe as the media do not cover. NASA hopes that teachers in the space program would revive the public interest. McAuliffe was to teach students about the Earth from space.

I remember I went to see the shuttle because I had never seen, "said Corrales, who left Ogden three years ago to work on the IRS center in Arizona.

We were all so excited because we were counting down, and then took off and we were all wide open, and we looked at, and I really quiet when it exploded, and we know that (the explosion) was not to happen.

And we are all familiar with the teacher, and I remember thinking, 'Surely going to say that this is due to take place, and the tears were just rolling down her cheeks.

Andrew Stemp, now Pownal, VT, was in first grade is Sarah Jane Adams Elementary School Layton.

I remember when they rolled a large TV on a tripod in the room and we were looking at him, "she said. "Everybody was very excited that there was a teacher on board. And then something went wrong and the teacher started to cry.

Amy Ogden City Councillor Wicks was sixth grade at Tolman Elementary School in Bountiful.

I recall with incredulity that it exploded, "she said. My teacher generally cheerful young people have a look at the horror and disbelief, and I tried not to let the tears come to his eyes and escape down her cheeks.

He walked to the end of the TV, went out into the hallway to regain composure in what seemed like hours, but probably only 90 seconds. He returned to the classroom and whispered something to have to move forward despite adversity.

Then the bell rang and we left for recess. And I remember the teachers in the hallway, speaking in disbelief. What are you doing?

Now as an adult, Wicks said she can not understand the problem of teachers. If it was for them, "she said, she is not sure what she would do whatever.

John Hinds, assistant professor at Weber State University, was teaching at the Ogden / Weber Area Technical College in 1986. He said that the disaster has left teachers shocked not sure what to do.

I remember seeing gas separation paths, he said it exploded when the ball broke loose and reminders.

The feeling that something was wrong, a powerful sense of fear. Continuing the coverage of work that people probably dead. Christa was probably dead.

He may even feel emotions such as washing, in the sense that students were watching me the reaction. Trying to answer questions.

He said the students were in the what, where, when, and not emotional. I was emotional at the time, and did not try to be. "

Donnalee Trease, sixth grade teacher at Creekside Elementary in Farmington, said he is not teaching elementary school in 1986, but it was the Columbia disaster in 2003. He is also the state coordinator for school activities with NASA, which means that he takes students to the field of space and works with NASA on educational activities in Utah.

Potential for disaster is always there, "he said, and teachers must be honest with students.

I think the way we finished (Columbia) was to explain that in any industry, there will be disaster, "she said. "There is greater danger of being killed on the road when you are involved in a space stuff like this.

In class "that we were very, very involved in this, as we have done, I literally set advisers. I said, 'Let me go with you."

"As for the Challenger, we're talking about three incidents in space," which had been the Apollo 1 capsule with three astronauts died in a fire during training, Challenger and Columbia.