In depth analysis of parachute said 'paramedic bailing out over the scene 12.5-28miles off shore'
1) PARACHUTE TOO BIG at that distance & WRONG TYPE for a controlled descent.
2) Parachute (excluding "paramedic" or cargo) can be seen clearly @12.5-28miles off shore? Yet Dan said @0:23 parachute is part of a "live picture from CAPE CANAVERAL,FL"
3) RESCUE HELICOPTERS NEVER WASTE TIME gaining altitude just to parachute in to water crash site.
Just absolutely heartbreaking. It's very rare to see the raw reactions of people as they watch their beloved family members die, literally, in front of their eyes. I will NEVER forget being a 3rd grader and watching this live. It's one of those memories that is etched into the minds of millions of Americans.
check some of the other videos of this explosion. you can see this particular camera guy filming the spectators. and RIP all those wonderful men and women who sacrificed their lives on that day on our behalf..
I know this is off-track but is it just me or did people mourn in a more dignified manner back then? Even though they know what just happened to their family/friends they kept relative composure and left the scene presumably to go cry privately. And the husbands nonchalantly holding their wives -- it's endearing to me, a small silver lining on that tragic day. I can't explain it, to me it just seems like nowadays so many people make a public mess of themselves at any opportunity.
@bvespertine - yes but wtf....everyone knows what happened and what that means....astronauts families bawling their eyes out...and the parents are smiling?
Yes, let's dictate to people how they should grief *roll eyes". People have the right to grief in the way they feel to. Public demonstration of grief is NOTHING to be ashamed of. It is only natural. If people want to make a public mess they have to right to make a public for someone beloved who just died, they have right to. Why people in a moment of despair should care what a strangers think about them?
@bvespertine - No, it's just because there are more cameras around now, so you get more exposure to those people who make a public spectacle of mourning. There are still plenty of folks who can cry from a loss and comfort their loved ones in a dignified manner. It's just that those composed individuals aren't as newsworthy as the hysterical types.
The family seen after 2:55 makes me cry every time. Just seeing their grief and confusion, trying to make sense of what they have just seen, tears me apart.
I am still kind of confused with their reactions, if I had been there, I would have cried right away. Even if I wasn't their family members...some of them kind of just stood there....
I understand freedom of the press, but it really irks me when I see the camera person almost desperately seeking out the parents of one of the victims in hopes of catching horror on their faces as they realize what has just occured. In my opinion this kind of freedom abuse has resulted in the desenstization of the population towards extreme situations like this. I don't agree with a lot Michael Moore has to say, but his documentary,"Bowling for Columbine" really hits home on this subject.
All of you wondering why the spectators reactions weren't immediate...it's human nature.I'd wager most of them had never seen a launch before and didn't really know what to expect.9/11 as an example...seasoned and intelligent news reporters watched the second plane hit Tower#2 but still asked "was that a second plane that flew into the building ?" No one is immune from disbelief.
@joelsttn: I think the "get on the buses" comment was to the kids watching in the stands. When I watched it at school, the teachers quickly turned the tv off and whisked us back to our classes. In situations like this, you don't know how to react or what to say. It's easy to look back and criticize it later on.
man being in a funeral and having to bury a love one is painful enough, but what can a parent or a love one even though when you have no body to even bury, truly sorry for the parents and loved, must be even more painful not to having the proper chance good bye.
The vehicle break-up happens around 0:38 right? I don't understand how people are still looking up smiling at 1:14, as if they don't know that the shuttle just exploded? Surely people can't be so thick as to not know that something just went catastrophically wrong with the Challenger? I don't believe this "it was the first time some people had seen the space shuttle launch so they didn't know what had happened" .
@chuzzwozzer Several interviews done later with the family/friends present at the launch clearly state that they had no idea what had happened, and because of the power of the explosion, they couldn't see much. They simply thought that what they were seeing was all supposed to be happening. This is one of those horrible "I still remember when I was when..." days in US history. I was six months old, but it was the day my grandfather died, so my family told me all about it. Just horrible.
@chuzzwozzer I dont think they were smiling, It was rather sunny out. I squint when i look up in the sky when its sunny out and it sometimes looks like im smiling becaus eof my squint. Thats all i see are squiting faces.
Oh look! you're so smart! You figured out that the shuttle exploded 75 seconds after launch! And then you translated it to the figure "1:15"! Sweet! Now all we have to hope that this video clip started at the EXACT SECOND OF LAUNCH!
@chuzzwozzer - They're not smiling they're squinting because of the morning sunshine. Most people's faces grimace when they go from looking at medium light (ground level) to intense light (skyward) even when the sun is not in their vision. Surely you're intelligent enough to work it out?
@chuzzwozzer I was there in person. The shuttle was was around 45,000 feet up when it disintegrated, so it was just a small speck. We really couldn't see it like you did on TV. We could barely see the boosters flying away. We only knew for sure when we heard it on the loudspeakers.
@chuzzwozzer They are looking up into the sun you idiot. They are not smiling. The expressions on the faces of the parents of the teacher, who should not have been on the flight, say it all.
It's easy to be a 100% correct 'after the fact' expert.
The pilots and FEs on the top floor used most of their emergency oxygen before impacting the water.
I've seen a flight at the VIP area. You feel the massive heat of the plume. I am sure the explosion emitted massive heat as well. Very sad.
@chuzzwozzer Looking from straight down it would be tough to see how bad it was. There was thick exhaust smoke left behind and they were hundreds of miles into the atmosphere.
@chuzzwozzer Because at this time, American interest in the space program was declining. So, unlike you and I who are space fans, most people had no interest in watching shuttle flights. Even by Apollo 13, American interest was already declining. The accident got everybody interested again for a few more years.
@chuzzwozzer The female commentator explains at 3:22 -ish. Usually the boosters separate from the craft. If you've seen a shuttle launch you'll know this happens at some point, and many people (with good intentions...) assumed it just the boosters coming off. You can hear people screaming immediately, though, so it's also obvious that many people in the crowd did know what happened.
you know i think they just didn´t wanted believe what they already knew after they saw this big cloud of smoke and two boosters which are flying around completely uncontrolled
@chuzzwozzer The view was blocked mostly by the camera crews, couple that with the infancy of the program and the fact no launches blew up in such a very long time and thats what you got. I was there and most people thought it was the separation of the boosters, only about 20 of us knew right away at the moment of the explosion.
She said she remembered that day well because her birthday was on the 23rd of Jan and they were supposed to launch then and my father, a space nut, had tqalked about going to the launch but he couldn't get away from work. She was making a late breakfast and had been calling my dad to hurry because he was in the bathroom. He was excited for an African=American to be on the flight. I didn't remember any of that. All I remember is glass shattering and my mom yelling "Daryl!"
I was almost two when this happened, and I remember my mother and i having a conversation one day about our earliest childhood memories. I said to her I don't know why but my earliest memory I swore was the shattering of glass and my father's name being called. And she looked at me strangely and said, "Oh my gosh! I don't believe it." I thought she meant I was fibbing, but she said it was her watching CNN when this happened and she dropped a pitcher of OJ and called my father into the room.
Contrary to the British scientist's remark that it occurred at no specific point in the launch procedure, it happened when they were told to "go throttle up" by the flight control crew.
To see something explode with someone you knew inside of it...and to suddenly see it disappear.....my heart honestly goes out to the people in the stands who just watched that happen before their very eyes... R.I.P. Truely a day in history not to be forgotten. :(
I was watching the lift off at home and was rightfully shocked to see it explode. It was in my mind for a long time. And my heart went out for the people involved RIP
When I watched news reports of this launch, I was appaled by the "news media" focusing in on the Parents Christa McAuliffe. Their sense of grief in watching their daughter's death was overwhelming, to say the least.
it makes me so incredibly sad seeing the families of the astronauts this stunned! it must have been sooo soooo sooo terrible for them seeing them die! :((((((((((((((((( R.I.P.
I never cry, but this video made me cry out loud. The good thing is that since they were knocked out after the explosion, they didn't have to suffer. Rest in peace, pilots of Challenger.
The lady being interviewed is astronomer Heather Couper - a well respected populariser of astronomy on British TV. This is the UK Channel 4 news from that evening and was broadcast within two hours of the accident. Very few people outside of NASA had a clue as to what had happened. Tim Furniss on a BBC Newsnight special that same evening said that he thought one of the solid boosters wasn''t firing properly - but instantly dismissed it as he thought that the SRBs were virtually fool proof.
Very Very sad...and it all could have been avoided only if the bureaucracy had listened to the engineers opinion on the structural integrity of the rubber O-rings of the solid rocket boosters...a sad and embarrassing blow to our space program
Very nasty to watch often we dont think about the families left behind. I was at junior school when this happened, before the launch I said it would blow up. The teacher asked me why I thought this and my reply was " theres a teacher going and I dont like teachers" I felt awfull when she did blow up
@britfin1 Aww-you had no way of knowing. I'm from Bermuda & I was in junior high then, too. I was home sick that day but I was excited to watch it with my mom. When this happened, we were just stunned & horrified.
Speaking of teachers, when I returned to school the next day, my physics teacher told us this 'joke'-he asked 'how do we know the astronauts had dandruff? Because heads & shoulders washed up on the beach.' I still remember that-a cruel, insensitive adult who should have known better.
@TheCelebTracker Agreed. I recall a similar joke from the time: Christa McAuliffe saying "Gee, what does THIS button do?"
However, it's a joke I've never told ANYONE. The thing is, comedy helps us to face and deal with the horrors in the World. But some things are just TOO horrible for even bad-taste humour to be acceptable.
this is the saddest video by far that i have seen on youtube...not the fact that the disaster effected me, but the comfusion and disbelfief on the parents faces...it almost looks like the christa's parents saw it explode but did not want to believe it....would never want anyone to witness their loved ones die in what is supposed to be a happy moment but suddenly change into a disaster......horrible....Rest in peace...
Wow...The reactions of the people are 10x more horrifying than the actual footage itself. It goes from clapping in amazement to sheer terror in a couple of seconds.
it actually DIDNT EXPLODE. The fuel started flowing out of the shuttle, creating the ILLUSION of an explosion....The "smoke" was not actually smoke but gas (hydrogen) emanating from the shuttle...the cabin and crew actually DIDNT DIE at shuttle breakup, their cabin separated, fell and HIT THE OCEAN at 270MPH!!! They were alive for like 2 minutes after that!
A few of them were alive since four or so had activated their emergency oxygen supply. But they were likely uncoscious by the time they hit the water at least.
@atomiicx of course he does, but that's your job, recorded their faces, happy or sad. You don't pan away, you don't turn it off, you do your fucking job. This new age ideal of not exposing people to the cold harsh reality of failure is what has lead to the current emotional short commings of the general populace.
@atomiicx Apparently, many of the people didnt know it had exploded. They are cheering, but, if you read the lips of the sister of the Christie MCculough, she can see something is wrong, and says "Oh no!, as her brother looks on in disbelief.
I remember coming home from school as an eight year old and seeing the news that the Challenger had exploded. Like many it had a profound effect on me. I wrote this short poem not then but many years later.
The Challenger
A gin clear sky, burning blue, a beautiful plume as you climbed away, I remember the Y and wondered so, towards the vacuum, you did not reach, instead you fell into eternity, into the arms of angels.
I remember where i was when this happened.... one of those moments that are permanently etched in your memory for life. I was only 16 when this happened and it still brings me to tears to this day. God bless every single crew member and their family for the sacrifices they made.
This hurts just as much as watching a 9/11 vid, I was 14 when 9.11 happened and now that I am with the Navy it hits me even harder because they were serving the country, just like I am, and they lost there lives. it reminds me to never forget why I do what I do. R.I.P my Fallen Brothers and Sisters.
@brianwayland Exactly, they saw the heat shield break off and strike the wing, they knew there was a problem. They knew the launch was made under below ideal temperatures also. Money. Just like Apollo One.
I don't know why I watch things like this. How utterly tragic. Twenty-five years old, and yet this emotion is so raw. I almost feel ashamed for looking at these people as they witness the death of their friends and family members.
@kensimmonsmba Well said...I feel the exact same way. To me, it's just so compelling because it gives a real-time view of people's reaction to history in the making. The fact that it is the crew's family members just makes it moreso.
God bless that elderly couple in the video of whom watched their daughter die on the shuttle. This must have been heartbreaking. The only condolonces I may offer at the time of this comment is that they are no longer living and are now back in heaven with their daughter
btw... it happened at throttle up, maybe the cinder inside the joint venture was loosened by a heavy wind occuring at this point or due to the heavy vibration at maximum air pressure when reaching supersonic speed... at least the SRB was accelerated into the external tank and the tip of it just cutted it which lead to the heavy explosion at the top of the tank and to the sad end of the challenger :-(
This happened when i was 7 days old. My mum told me as a child about how she had me on the change table and was watching this early in the morning on Australian tv. Thats something that she will never forget.
Wow. The explosion video is one thing, but watching the footage of these people is surreal. The crowd breaks out into applause when the shuttle explodes, and people are smiling for quite some time after it happened. Then as they came to the realization that something is wrong and really just fall silent, and then the chilling announcement that the vehicle has exploded and they all start crying. It's unbelievable.
I remember seeing this on tv, I was 11, and felt so bad for the students seeing their teacher die like that, and I also felt so bad as an 11 yo that day.
Like most people, I've seen some crazy shit on the internet - but this really got to me. Something about the way the Dad had his little NASA badges on, clearly proud and excited for his sons big day, and the look of confusion, shock and disbelief at the unfolding events. I'll always feel a chill when I hear those words "Challenger, go at throttle up". RIP to everyone that's been lost in the space program. It's not been in vain.
sick to think 3 of the astronauts survived the explosion only to die on impact with water .what a tradgedy did they ever reveal who the three were? this was assumed because the emergency oxygen supplies were activated in three of the helmets. disasters like this ruin the lives of the relatives as well. i feel so sad after watching this its really upsetting
I will never forget this. I was 17 years old. I was in History class, and our teacher had popped popcorn and passed out soda as we got ready to watch this launch. When he realized it had blown up, he got up quietly and shut off the tv and explained what had happened. So horrible. These poor families. I cannot imagine the shock of watching this happen to their loved ones before their eyes. How do you ever go on. I guess we do, somehow. May they RIP. Their bravery is noted forever.
I was a Sophmore in High School on the morning it happened....I remember it like it was yesterday. Even after all these years, to see these families have to go through that moment of realization just brings a tear to my eye. What a sad day it was for them and for America.
The woman interviewed at 5:17 doesn't know what she is talking about, yet she is the Pres, British Astonomical Society: 1) The right hand engine didn't explode, both were seen leaving the area of the Shuttle in tact. 2) The solid rockets are not "over the liquid O2 tank", they were in echelon position, 3) The liquid tank doesn't feed "the Shuttle itself"; 4) Oxygen can't ignite, only fuel can ignite and burn. Yeah, it's technical stuff.
@Fallparty She is talking about the right hand engine of the shuttle, not the right booster (which are what you see wizzing away after the explosion. And pure Oxygen in any form is extremely flamable. That is why people with oxygen tanks in the hospital arn't allowed to smoke, because it can ignite. Other than being wrong about oxygen being flamable, I think you just missunderstood.
I remember when this happened, I saw it on tv and shook my head in absolute horror. The first thing in my head was they're all dead nothing could have survived that. Just days earlier I remember watching the young school teacher on tv that was on board. Very sad may the crew of the Challenger R.I.P.
I can't imagine the amount of shock those people in the crowd must've been feeling at that moment. What a horrible, tragic thing to have seen. R.I.P. to those brave astronauts.
The woman in the 0:46 she knew something will happend, that's why she is holding the air, no one is so worry if didn't have a clue of what will hapen, a premonition perhaps.
I remember the day this happened. I was in the 6th grade, and I pretended to be sick that day so I could stay home from school to watch the launch. Maybe it's because I was so into it, but it seems to me that the space program was much more in the public eye back then than it is now. Everyone was devastated by the Challenger disaster. It's one of those moments that will always be in my memory.
I, as an European, remember this SO well. It was terrible. As a western civilization we feel bonded with the Americans. Your tragedy is our tragedy as well. This was a terrible day and made a big impression on me as a little 10 year old boy.
@DWINC: What a beautiful comment sir! I was also 10 years old, here in the US, when it happened, and it's one of those "never forget" childhood memories. Just total shock and sadness. I didn't know it had such an impact on so many people around the world.
Just a word from the uploader to commentators - I have this piece on "comments must be approved" to weed out abusive/anti-American/sick comments on what was a serious event. YouTube are supposed to alert me to ALL new comments - but often fail to do so. Thus every now and then, I scan down ALL the comments (currently over 100) and MANUALLY "approve" any "lost" ones. So sorry if your comment does not appear straight away. But it WILL, eventually, provided it is appropriate (which ALMOST ALL are).
@davidwrightatloppers I commend you for keeping the comments on your post here appropriate. I don't know if you've looked at other posts, but i have and its shameful what people say. They even make fun of the deceased gentleman who's tape was recently found. As if it was a joke. I was in 10th grade that day, and remember being upset for a long time. I kept thinking of the teacher & her students. Thanks again.....
I guess I had the sadness inside me for many years but I cried for seeing the mother today, no mother before has seen her daughter fall out of the sky like this.
I don't think I've ever been moved to tears by a youtube video, but that was as close as I've been to it, and I wasn't even born when this happened... That's just awful, what happened, the way it happened, and how long it took for the realisation to sink in... genuinely heart-wrenching...
2 Billion dollars and NASA still couldn't get it right? I do not advocate violence, but every single NASA person that had anything to do with this should at the minimum be punched right in their faces. Cold contracts, heat expands, maybe that could do some kind of damage? This is sad, just sad to see those faces.
I'll never forget those idiots who clapped. How in the hell could anyone think that was what the shuttle was supposed to do? Explode into a ball of fire?
@greyeyed123 The shuttle is a multistage vehicle. They initially assumed that was a sign of its success, that the booster rocket had separated, and that the people were on their way to space. It's not as though they had seen many shuttle launches. The thought that something went wrong, that everyone was dead, didn't even cross their mind until they had time to process what had happened.
This just makes you think about how fragile life is and how lucky we are to have it.. I can't imagine what it was like to sit in those bleachers and literally watch your loved one die.
Space "Expert" : "Well it looks to me like something went wrong with the Shuttle itself"
Yes.... Yes it did didn't it.... I thought it looked like that too. Even to my untrained eye, I was pretty sure that something had gone wrong when it exploded in a giant ball of flames!
@TheBoobmaster5000 they probably didnt know what happened. probably thought that what they were seeing was supposed to happen, plus it was pretty far, so the explosion couldve been mistaken for the solid rocket boosters separating
My Dad was there as a Boy Scout with some of his troupe, they'd been fascinated and raised money to go. He said the atmosphere there was more terrible than anything he could describe. My grandmother was with him that day. Years later as she declined into Alzheimer's, she'd have spells where she'd scream that my father was on a shuttle that was exploding.
It wasn't an explosion like most people think it actually disentigrated do to the 20g force on it which was only built to withstand like 5g. What looked like a firery explosion was just the release of hydrogen and oxygen gasses as it disintegrated.
God help us all....
hardlines4 3 weeks ago
Roger Boisjoly knew this shuttle and if others had listened, this disaster could have been prevented.
gurdykins 4 weeks ago
Tell me why this camera is better than some of the 1's we have today?
BeauStinsonDotCom 4 weeks ago
There is a point of where the Shuttle must halt its thrust to De-compress the press built up in its thrusters. The Challenger failed to do so
"in a nut-shell"
XrisSmiles 1 month ago
man, I remember my dad telling me about seeing it as we live 90 miles south of the Cape. He said all he could say was "Oh My God"
KJT922010T 1 month ago
I'm so glad that my cousin that lives California goes to a school named challenger that honors these people
KBEnext 1 month ago
youtube.com/watch?v=juaKc1sxSyM&feature=related
In depth analysis of parachute said 'paramedic bailing out over the scene 12.5-28miles off shore'
1) PARACHUTE TOO BIG at that distance & WRONG TYPE for a controlled descent.
2) Parachute (excluding "paramedic" or cargo) can be seen clearly @12.5-28miles off shore? Yet Dan said @0:23 parachute is part of a "live picture from CAPE CANAVERAL,FL"
3) RESCUE HELICOPTERS NEVER WASTE TIME gaining altitude just to parachute in to water crash site.
shawso7 1 month ago
Just absolutely heartbreaking. It's very rare to see the raw reactions of people as they watch their beloved family members die, literally, in front of their eyes. I will NEVER forget being a 3rd grader and watching this live. It's one of those memories that is etched into the minds of millions of Americans.
mlc2005 1 month ago
: (
meowmeowsucka 1 month ago
May they rest in piece. Most moving video I've ever seen.
8point1 1 month ago
God forbid something like this should ever happen again.
vze21gwa 1 month ago
The saddest transmission to ever be heard..."mission terminated"...
parkman35 2 months ago 8
Did someone say "skyrim" at 00:04?
ClousVonHindenbug 2 months ago
@ClousVonHindenbug ..........
AndrewVloggy 1 month ago
:(
Marspyramids 2 months ago
check some of the other videos of this explosion. you can see this particular camera guy filming the spectators. and RIP all those wonderful men and women who sacrificed their lives on that day on our behalf..
metalaxiz 2 months ago
January 28, 1986
i was in our school library watching it unfold.... was stunned, like many.
razblack 3 months ago
i was in 6th grade. i remember the teachers crying and most of us didn't know what really happened. very sad.
infowazz 3 months ago
that is the most horrifying thing to see those parents.
GildySanders 3 months ago
I know this is off-track but is it just me or did people mourn in a more dignified manner back then? Even though they know what just happened to their family/friends they kept relative composure and left the scene presumably to go cry privately. And the husbands nonchalantly holding their wives -- it's endearing to me, a small silver lining on that tragic day. I can't explain it, to me it just seems like nowadays so many people make a public mess of themselves at any opportunity.
bvespertine 3 months ago
@bvespertine - yes but wtf....everyone knows what happened and what that means....astronauts families bawling their eyes out...and the parents are smiling?
fowzie777 3 months ago
@bvespertine
Yes, let's dictate to people how they should grief *roll eyes". People have the right to grief in the way they feel to. Public demonstration of grief is NOTHING to be ashamed of. It is only natural. If people want to make a public mess they have to right to make a public for someone beloved who just died, they have right to. Why people in a moment of despair should care what a strangers think about them?
TheRealShadowcat 3 months ago
@bvespertine - No, it's just because there are more cameras around now, so you get more exposure to those people who make a public spectacle of mourning. There are still plenty of folks who can cry from a loss and comfort their loved ones in a dignified manner. It's just that those composed individuals aren't as newsworthy as the hysterical types.
BlueberryWaffleOs 1 month ago
@bvespertine I agree, it's strange to me.
Tykeronia 3 weeks ago
The family seen after 2:55 makes me cry every time. Just seeing their grief and confusion, trying to make sense of what they have just seen, tears me apart.
racinefo 3 months ago in playlist racinefo's favorites
poor kids
1angelsfan17 4 months ago
I am still kind of confused with their reactions, if I had been there, I would have cried right away. Even if I wasn't their family members...some of them kind of just stood there....
SooUnOriginal 4 months ago
American HEROES. Every one of them!
Burco1 4 months ago
I was almost 5 years old when this happened.
I can still vaguely remember "the adults" talking about it in the days that followed.
TheDeJureTour 4 months ago
I understand freedom of the press, but it really irks me when I see the camera person almost desperately seeking out the parents of one of the victims in hopes of catching horror on their faces as they realize what has just occured. In my opinion this kind of freedom abuse has resulted in the desenstization of the population towards extreme situations like this. I don't agree with a lot Michael Moore has to say, but his documentary,"Bowling for Columbine" really hits home on this subject.
kingmackattack42 4 months ago
they just watched their daughter die, how utterly horrific.
freqeist 4 months ago
All of you wondering why the spectators reactions weren't immediate...it's human nature.I'd wager most of them had never seen a launch before and didn't really know what to expect.9/11 as an example...seasoned and intelligent news reporters watched the second plane hit Tower#2 but still asked "was that a second plane that flew into the building ?" No one is immune from disbelief.
nerblebun 4 months ago
I couldn't believe hearing someone telling these people to get on the buses while these people have just witnessed a terrible event. A shameful act.
joelsttn 5 months ago
@joelsttn: I think the "get on the buses" comment was to the kids watching in the stands. When I watched it at school, the teachers quickly turned the tv off and whisked us back to our classes. In situations like this, you don't know how to react or what to say. It's easy to look back and criticize it later on.
mlc2005 1 month ago
Generation Y
Aquatyca 5 months ago
man being in a funeral and having to bury a love one is painful enough, but what can a parent or a love one even though when you have no body to even bury, truly sorry for the parents and loved, must be even more painful not to having the proper chance good bye.
juju6018 5 months ago 4
@juju6018 All bodies were recovered and returned to their families.
aimhigh59 5 months ago
@juju6018 I know ;( That's why you should always say "I love you" to your loved ones cause you never know when your last day will be.
Sebizzar 4 months ago
@juju6018 If I'm not totally wrong all bodies were found in relatively good shape.
Placktus 4 months ago
The vehicle break-up happens around 0:38 right? I don't understand how people are still looking up smiling at 1:14, as if they don't know that the shuttle just exploded? Surely people can't be so thick as to not know that something just went catastrophically wrong with the Challenger? I don't believe this "it was the first time some people had seen the space shuttle launch so they didn't know what had happened" .
chuzzwozzer 5 months ago
@chuzzwozzer But it WAS.
davidwrightatloppers 5 months ago 40
@davidwrightatloppers oh right then, thanks for that.
chuzzwozzer 5 months ago
@chuzzwozzer Several interviews done later with the family/friends present at the launch clearly state that they had no idea what had happened, and because of the power of the explosion, they couldn't see much. They simply thought that what they were seeing was all supposed to be happening. This is one of those horrible "I still remember when I was when..." days in US history. I was six months old, but it was the day my grandfather died, so my family told me all about it. Just horrible.
writerchick10 5 months ago
@chuzzwozzer I dont think they were smiling, It was rather sunny out. I squint when i look up in the sky when its sunny out and it sometimes looks like im smiling becaus eof my squint. Thats all i see are squiting faces.
Mileneum69 5 months ago
@chuzzwozzer the sun was in their eyes, or maybe nervous laughter.
Wizofanime101 4 months ago
@chuzzwozzer I guess with their loved ones up there, i suppose what we are seeing is the initial state of denial.
aigg 4 months ago
@chuzzwozzer Explosion happened at 1:15
coorowdarts 3 months ago
@coorowdarts
Um, wrong.
Mailbox604 2 months ago
@coorowdarts
Oh look! you're so smart! You figured out that the shuttle exploded 75 seconds after launch! And then you translated it to the figure "1:15"! Sweet! Now all we have to hope that this video clip started at the EXACT SECOND OF LAUNCH!
Spoiler alert: It didn't.
Mailbox604 2 months ago
@chuzzwozzer - They're not smiling they're squinting because of the morning sunshine. Most people's faces grimace when they go from looking at medium light (ground level) to intense light (skyward) even when the sun is not in their vision. Surely you're intelligent enough to work it out?
Mekonta 3 months ago 3
@chuzzwozzer I was there in person. The shuttle was was around 45,000 feet up when it disintegrated, so it was just a small speck. We really couldn't see it like you did on TV. We could barely see the boosters flying away. We only knew for sure when we heard it on the loudspeakers.
vicorly 2 months ago 10
@chuzzwozzer They are looking up into the sun you idiot. They are not smiling. The expressions on the faces of the parents of the teacher, who should not have been on the flight, say it all.
It's easy to be a 100% correct 'after the fact' expert.
The pilots and FEs on the top floor used most of their emergency oxygen before impacting the water.
I've seen a flight at the VIP area. You feel the massive heat of the plume. I am sure the explosion emitted massive heat as well. Very sad.
HuskyMaxx 2 months ago 5
@HuskyMaxx Really, you felt the heat of the plume during launch from 3 miles away?
amgen52 1 month ago
@chuzzwozzer I think it is more disbelief than stupidity
jankaps82 1 month ago
@chuzzwozzer Looking from straight down it would be tough to see how bad it was. There was thick exhaust smoke left behind and they were hundreds of miles into the atmosphere.
Hawkboy77 1 month ago
@chuzzwozzer Because at this time, American interest in the space program was declining. So, unlike you and I who are space fans, most people had no interest in watching shuttle flights. Even by Apollo 13, American interest was already declining. The accident got everybody interested again for a few more years.
piratesmvp 1 month ago
@chuzzwozzer The female commentator explains at 3:22 -ish. Usually the boosters separate from the craft. If you've seen a shuttle launch you'll know this happens at some point, and many people (with good intentions...) assumed it just the boosters coming off. You can hear people screaming immediately, though, so it's also obvious that many people in the crowd did know what happened.
ehhhhhhhhhh 1 month ago
@chuzzwozzer
you know i think they just didn´t wanted believe what they already knew after they saw this big cloud of smoke and two boosters which are flying around completely uncontrolled
dickunddoof122 1 month ago
@chuzzwozzer The view was blocked mostly by the camera crews, couple that with the infancy of the program and the fact no launches blew up in such a very long time and thats what you got. I was there and most people thought it was the separation of the boosters, only about 20 of us knew right away at the moment of the explosion.
littleneddygoestowar 3 weeks ago
1986....a bad year
macricky 5 months ago
many adventurers and explorers have died to push the boundaries of humanity.
Rao665 5 months ago 45
and nobody help the families!!!!
TheElevenbutterflies 5 months ago
Yup a huge explosion looks like a rocket increasing throttle, thats what happens when its old people and kids watching rockets take off.
hectichorse 5 months ago
Tough video watching parents go through that..... RIP they died exploring scientific boundaries for mankind and doing what they loved, peace.
Spindry96 5 months ago
Sad the students watched their teacher die
crazym26 5 months ago
She said she remembered that day well because her birthday was on the 23rd of Jan and they were supposed to launch then and my father, a space nut, had tqalked about going to the launch but he couldn't get away from work. She was making a late breakfast and had been calling my dad to hurry because he was in the bathroom. He was excited for an African=American to be on the flight. I didn't remember any of that. All I remember is glass shattering and my mom yelling "Daryl!"
Vitaluv 5 months ago
I was almost two when this happened, and I remember my mother and i having a conversation one day about our earliest childhood memories. I said to her I don't know why but my earliest memory I swore was the shattering of glass and my father's name being called. And she looked at me strangely and said, "Oh my gosh! I don't believe it." I thought she meant I was fibbing, but she said it was her watching CNN when this happened and she dropped a pitcher of OJ and called my father into the room.
Vitaluv 5 months ago
Quite a long time ago now, but i'll never forget that moment.
CRTukker 6 months ago
that was one sad day for space science.
ArabAstronomy 6 months ago
Contrary to the British scientist's remark that it occurred at no specific point in the launch procedure, it happened when they were told to "go throttle up" by the flight control crew.
gcahn2 6 months ago
Very reserved media we have these days. Nothing like the emotional outburst from the Hindenburg crash from the 1930's.
gcahn2 6 months ago
To see something explode with someone you knew inside of it...and to suddenly see it disappear.....my heart honestly goes out to the people in the stands who just watched that happen before their very eyes... R.I.P. Truely a day in history not to be forgotten. :(
IXvSakuravXI 6 months ago
I was watching the lift off at home and was rightfully shocked to see it explode. It was in my mind for a long time. And my heart went out for the people involved RIP
Slowscrew8u 6 months ago
When I watched news reports of this launch, I was appaled by the "news media" focusing in on the Parents Christa McAuliffe. Their sense of grief in watching their daughter's death was overwhelming, to say the least.
prcacowboy82401 6 months ago
I have no kids but if I just seen one of mind own died in front of me.... Crazy
CoolerDave1 6 months ago
it makes me so incredibly sad seeing the families of the astronauts this stunned! it must have been sooo soooo sooo terrible for them seeing them die! :((((((((((((((((( R.I.P.
ABCosmeticaAnniDebb 6 months ago
Thank you for posting this video and making us all remember how precious life is. And how proud we should abe of our country.
evanjudyilana 6 months ago
That poor woman at 5:00 in the blue jacket can't even stand up.
AdIgnorantiam 6 months ago
im doin a report on this and i need as much details thanks for this! i needed some reaction (:
JayJayCortezMusic 6 months ago
I never cry, but this video made me cry out loud. The good thing is that since they were knocked out after the explosion, they didn't have to suffer. Rest in peace, pilots of Challenger.
Drifloon9843 6 months ago
The lady being interviewed is astronomer Heather Couper - a well respected populariser of astronomy on British TV. This is the UK Channel 4 news from that evening and was broadcast within two hours of the accident. Very few people outside of NASA had a clue as to what had happened. Tim Furniss on a BBC Newsnight special that same evening said that he thought one of the solid boosters wasn''t firing properly - but instantly dismissed it as he thought that the SRBs were virtually fool proof.
EricIrl 6 months ago
O M G dont know why i watched this i knew what i was going to see , r i p ,
rohan9376 6 months ago
Very Very sad...and it all could have been avoided only if the bureaucracy had listened to the engineers opinion on the structural integrity of the rubber O-rings of the solid rocket boosters...a sad and embarrassing blow to our space program
laxspanker1984 7 months ago
This is absolutely heartbreaking to watch. I saw this when I was 6 years old and thought it was a movie. Ignorance is bliss.
kikibooboos 7 months ago
What a dreadful thing to happen, all nasas developments should be safety orientated
SamsEngineering 7 months ago
Very nasty to watch often we dont think about the families left behind. I was at junior school when this happened, before the launch I said it would blow up. The teacher asked me why I thought this and my reply was " theres a teacher going and I dont like teachers" I felt awfull when she did blow up
britfin1 7 months ago
@britfin1 Aww-you had no way of knowing. I'm from Bermuda & I was in junior high then, too. I was home sick that day but I was excited to watch it with my mom. When this happened, we were just stunned & horrified.
Speaking of teachers, when I returned to school the next day, my physics teacher told us this 'joke'-he asked 'how do we know the astronauts had dandruff? Because heads & shoulders washed up on the beach.' I still remember that-a cruel, insensitive adult who should have known better.
TheCelebTracker 6 months ago
@TheCelebTracker Agreed. I recall a similar joke from the time: Christa McAuliffe saying "Gee, what does THIS button do?"
However, it's a joke I've never told ANYONE. The thing is, comedy helps us to face and deal with the horrors in the World. But some things are just TOO horrible for even bad-taste humour to be acceptable.
THIS event is one such.
And for a TEACHER to make such a joke...
davidwrightatloppers 6 months ago
this is the saddest video by far that i have seen on youtube...not the fact that the disaster effected me, but the comfusion and disbelfief on the parents faces...it almost looks like the christa's parents saw it explode but did not want to believe it....would never want anyone to witness their loved ones die in what is supposed to be a happy moment but suddenly change into a disaster......horrible....Rest in peace...
TheBoxchat 7 months ago
Wow...The reactions of the people are 10x more horrifying than the actual footage itself. It goes from clapping in amazement to sheer terror in a couple of seconds.
My heart goes out to every last one of them.
tinaUNDAcova 7 months ago
Does the camera man/woman not realize the shuttle exploded? The whole time he/she is focused on the family and friends.
atomiicx 7 months ago
@atomiicx see the info panel...
davidwrightatloppers 6 months ago 3
@atomiicx
it actually DIDNT EXPLODE. The fuel started flowing out of the shuttle, creating the ILLUSION of an explosion....The "smoke" was not actually smoke but gas (hydrogen) emanating from the shuttle...the cabin and crew actually DIDNT DIE at shuttle breakup, their cabin separated, fell and HIT THE OCEAN at 270MPH!!! They were alive for like 2 minutes after that!
ktkalicka 6 months ago
@ktkalicka
A few of them were alive since four or so had activated their emergency oxygen supply. But they were likely uncoscious by the time they hit the water at least.
loner1878 5 months ago
@atomiicx of course he does, but that's your job, recorded their faces, happy or sad. You don't pan away, you don't turn it off, you do your fucking job. This new age ideal of not exposing people to the cold harsh reality of failure is what has lead to the current emotional short commings of the general populace.
Polybun 5 months ago
@atomiicx Apparently, many of the people didnt know it had exploded. They are cheering, but, if you read the lips of the sister of the Christie MCculough, she can see something is wrong, and says "Oh no!, as her brother looks on in disbelief.
IwshIcldstrtover 4 months ago
oh no
golfgirl778 7 months ago
I remember coming home from school as an eight year old and seeing the news that the Challenger had exploded. Like many it had a profound effect on me. I wrote this short poem not then but many years later.
The Challenger
A gin clear sky, burning blue, a beautiful plume as you climbed away, I remember the Y and wondered so, towards the vacuum, you did not reach, instead you fell into eternity, into the arms of angels.
green823jade 7 months ago
It had to be gut wretching to watch their own child die in the disaster. So sad..
HalfBornUnicornFetus 7 months ago
and just like that..... freaky how fast it can happen to lose someone so close.
luckyStrike89ru 7 months ago
I remember where i was when this happened.... one of those moments that are permanently etched in your memory for life. I was only 16 when this happened and it still brings me to tears to this day. God bless every single crew member and their family for the sacrifices they made.
zestydude87 7 months ago
a very sad day indeed
deserticus18 7 months ago
This hurts just as much as watching a 9/11 vid, I was 14 when 9.11 happened and now that I am with the Navy it hits me even harder because they were serving the country, just like I am, and they lost there lives. it reminds me to never forget why I do what I do. R.I.P my Fallen Brothers and Sisters.
trekkiemarine1 7 months ago
Obviously we have a Major malfunction.
^ Possibly one of the BIGGEST understatements of the century.
kaisean95 7 months ago
The saddest part is that NASA had the technology to save astronauts in the launch sequence.
Blackbird jet ejection seats were originally going to be included in the shuttle.
NASA said it wasn't cost feasible.
brianwayland 7 months ago 12
@brianwayland No technology could have saved them. Everything seemed fine until the sudden explosion. They would not have had time to eject.
maisteri 5 months ago
@brianwayland Exactly, they saw the heat shield break off and strike the wing, they knew there was a problem. They knew the launch was made under below ideal temperatures also. Money. Just like Apollo One.
Nautilus1972 5 months ago
The worst part is to look at the parents of Christy and to see the look on their face.
rebelbaseball97 7 months ago 3
I don't know why I watch things like this. How utterly tragic. Twenty-five years old, and yet this emotion is so raw. I almost feel ashamed for looking at these people as they witness the death of their friends and family members.
kensimmonsmba 7 months ago 17
@kensimmonsmba Well said...I feel the exact same way. To me, it's just so compelling because it gives a real-time view of people's reaction to history in the making. The fact that it is the crew's family members just makes it moreso.
Derby14 7 months ago
God bless that elderly couple in the video of whom watched their daughter die on the shuttle. This must have been heartbreaking. The only condolonces I may offer at the time of this comment is that they are no longer living and are now back in heaven with their daughter
3DMoviez 7 months ago 3
Who is the initial narrator of this footage? It sounds like Jim nantz.
toeey1 7 months ago
btw... it happened at throttle up, maybe the cinder inside the joint venture was loosened by a heavy wind occuring at this point or due to the heavy vibration at maximum air pressure when reaching supersonic speed... at least the SRB was accelerated into the external tank and the tip of it just cutted it which lead to the heavy explosion at the top of the tank and to the sad end of the challenger :-(
Hubieee 7 months ago
rest in peace brave men... without you mankind would miss a lot of bravery and will to reach new grounds to be discovered.
Hubieee 7 months ago
This happened when i was 7 days old. My mum told me as a child about how she had me on the change table and was watching this early in the morning on Australian tv. Thats something that she will never forget.
jojo324 7 months ago
Wow. The explosion video is one thing, but watching the footage of these people is surreal. The crowd breaks out into applause when the shuttle explodes, and people are smiling for quite some time after it happened. Then as they came to the realization that something is wrong and really just fall silent, and then the chilling announcement that the vehicle has exploded and they all start crying. It's unbelievable.
TheOnlineCommunity 7 months ago
I remember seeing this on tv, I was 11, and felt so bad for the students seeing their teacher die like that, and I also felt so bad as an 11 yo that day.
cappygolucky 7 months ago
Like most people, I've seen some crazy shit on the internet - but this really got to me. Something about the way the Dad had his little NASA badges on, clearly proud and excited for his sons big day, and the look of confusion, shock and disbelief at the unfolding events. I'll always feel a chill when I hear those words "Challenger, go at throttle up". RIP to everyone that's been lost in the space program. It's not been in vain.
dynamiteringo 7 months ago 3
As a high-school senior I watched the launch live. One of our teachers was an early candidate in the selection process.
At the fatal moment, a coach turned to her and said, "And there go the boosters!" (mistakenly thinking the SRBs had separated normally).
The teacher knew better. She put a hand over her face and said, "Oh my God, Bob...I think we just lost her."
I'm 43 now and will never forget that day, or the look on her face...
laronmaron98 7 months ago
The realization that something went wrong seemed to be so delayed...
Derby14 7 months ago
Heart breaking to watch the parents of Crista McAuliffe to watch their daughter die in front of their eyes. Absolutely horrible.
MrGeevideos 7 months ago
everybody crying but nobody seems to be really worried about the situation
3anaurv2 7 months ago
very very.. happened right before their eyes.
sunkadam 7 months ago
HannahAndAlena 7 months ago
Go with throttle up! I cry to!! Sad r.I.p crew of challenger!
HannahAndAlena 7 months ago
I remember this day all too well. It was quite sad to see.
depravedone 7 months ago
sick to think 3 of the astronauts survived the explosion only to die on impact with water .what a tradgedy did they ever reveal who the three were? this was assumed because the emergency oxygen supplies were activated in three of the helmets. disasters like this ruin the lives of the relatives as well. i feel so sad after watching this its really upsetting
doh1959 7 months ago
i was wondering about the man who laughed. but then i realised that was the laugh of inconceivable pain...
MusicGeneration2008 8 months ago
Pretty gruesome if you really think about it.
varnlestoff 8 months ago
how did they cope with this i mean this just happened right in front of there eyes this was truely sad man
0709mykayla 8 months ago
I will never forget this. I was 17 years old. I was in History class, and our teacher had popped popcorn and passed out soda as we got ready to watch this launch. When he realized it had blown up, he got up quietly and shut off the tv and explained what had happened. So horrible. These poor families. I cannot imagine the shock of watching this happen to their loved ones before their eyes. How do you ever go on. I guess we do, somehow. May they RIP. Their bravery is noted forever.
Blackwolfrt 8 months ago
I was a Sophmore in High School on the morning it happened....I remember it like it was yesterday. Even after all these years, to see these families have to go through that moment of realization just brings a tear to my eye. What a sad day it was for them and for America.
prospectiveman 8 months ago
The woman interviewed at 5:17 doesn't know what she is talking about, yet she is the Pres, British Astonomical Society: 1) The right hand engine didn't explode, both were seen leaving the area of the Shuttle in tact. 2) The solid rockets are not "over the liquid O2 tank", they were in echelon position, 3) The liquid tank doesn't feed "the Shuttle itself"; 4) Oxygen can't ignite, only fuel can ignite and burn. Yeah, it's technical stuff.
Fallparty 8 months ago 4
@Fallparty She is talking about the right hand engine of the shuttle, not the right booster (which are what you see wizzing away after the explosion. And pure Oxygen in any form is extremely flamable. That is why people with oxygen tanks in the hospital arn't allowed to smoke, because it can ignite. Other than being wrong about oxygen being flamable, I think you just missunderstood.
gman13121 7 months ago
@Fallparty SHe's talking about the right engine of the shuttle itself, not the right hand booster.
DrFrankLives 7 months ago
After all these years, when I hear "Go with throttle up" I still cringe.
Marty933 8 months ago
@Marty933 I know what you mean. I hold my breath until they get past that point.
ksol1460tv 7 months ago
Where did the pieces land?
mason0190 8 months ago
@mason0190 Sea, land scattered around. I know someone that lives over there that has a peace of heat cell thing..
Maximinators 7 months ago
Jesus Christ. This is just horrible to watch.
LordGoatAlmighty 8 months ago
I remember when this happened, I saw it on tv and shook my head in absolute horror. The first thing in my head was they're all dead nothing could have survived that. Just days earlier I remember watching the young school teacher on tv that was on board. Very sad may the crew of the Challenger R.I.P.
finfeverness082384 8 months ago 2
This made me cry :'( god bless those on board the shuttle and the families. A horrific event.
Canadian737 8 months ago
I can't imagine the amount of shock those people in the crowd must've been feeling at that moment. What a horrible, tragic thing to have seen. R.I.P. to those brave astronauts.
SuperStrik9 8 months ago
People are clapping nat 43 sec thinking that the separation was part of launch.
thecity42 9 months ago
The woman in the 0:46 she knew something will happend, that's why she is holding the air, no one is so worry if didn't have a clue of what will hapen, a premonition perhaps.
Leogalvanhalen 9 months ago
@Leogalvanhalen that old lady? That's the mother of the teacher in the shuttle.
donaldnewton58 8 months ago
I remember the day this happened. I was in the 6th grade, and I pretended to be sick that day so I could stay home from school to watch the launch. Maybe it's because I was so into it, but it seems to me that the space program was much more in the public eye back then than it is now. Everyone was devastated by the Challenger disaster. It's one of those moments that will always be in my memory.
dgtemplin 9 months ago 2
2:29, Oh man, if you listen you can hear a boy call "Mom!" Why did this have to happen?
transfan24 9 months ago
I thought it was 73 seconds after launch.
timd941 9 months ago
I, as an European, remember this SO well. It was terrible. As a western civilization we feel bonded with the Americans. Your tragedy is our tragedy as well. This was a terrible day and made a big impression on me as a little 10 year old boy.
DWINC 9 months ago
@DWINC: What a beautiful comment sir! I was also 10 years old, here in the US, when it happened, and it's one of those "never forget" childhood memories. Just total shock and sadness. I didn't know it had such an impact on so many people around the world.
mlc2005 1 month ago
one of the saddest videos ever recorded in history
TraumaER 9 months ago
Just a word from the uploader to commentators - I have this piece on "comments must be approved" to weed out abusive/anti-American/sick comments on what was a serious event. YouTube are supposed to alert me to ALL new comments - but often fail to do so. Thus every now and then, I scan down ALL the comments (currently over 100) and MANUALLY "approve" any "lost" ones. So sorry if your comment does not appear straight away. But it WILL, eventually, provided it is appropriate (which ALMOST ALL are).
davidwrightatloppers 9 months ago 21
@davidwrightatloppers I commend you for keeping the comments on your post here appropriate. I don't know if you've looked at other posts, but i have and its shameful what people say. They even make fun of the deceased gentleman who's tape was recently found. As if it was a joke. I was in 10th grade that day, and remember being upset for a long time. I kept thinking of the teacher & her students. Thanks again.....
musclecarluvr1 9 months ago 13
I guess I had the sadness inside me for many years but I cried for seeing the mother today, no mother before has seen her daughter fall out of the sky like this.
dunavbalkan 9 months ago
I don't think I've ever been moved to tears by a youtube video, but that was as close as I've been to it, and I wasn't even born when this happened... That's just awful, what happened, the way it happened, and how long it took for the realisation to sink in... genuinely heart-wrenching...
leerobbo92 10 months ago
2 Billion dollars and NASA still couldn't get it right? I do not advocate violence, but every single NASA person that had anything to do with this should at the minimum be punched right in their faces. Cold contracts, heat expands, maybe that could do some kind of damage? This is sad, just sad to see those faces.
emekonen 10 months ago
I'll never forget those idiots who clapped. How in the hell could anyone think that was what the shuttle was supposed to do? Explode into a ball of fire?
greyeyed123 10 months ago
@greyeyed123 The shuttle is a multistage vehicle. They initially assumed that was a sign of its success, that the booster rocket had separated, and that the people were on their way to space. It's not as though they had seen many shuttle launches. The thought that something went wrong, that everyone was dead, didn't even cross their mind until they had time to process what had happened.
mgerberich 9 months ago
This just makes you think about how fragile life is and how lucky we are to have it.. I can't imagine what it was like to sit in those bleachers and literally watch your loved one die.
sb08fosho 10 months ago
very bad unluck
sokena 10 months ago
:(
yatzicar 10 months ago
I love the British news item at the end.....
News Anchor : "So what do you think went wrong?"
Space "Expert" : "Well it looks to me like something went wrong with the Shuttle itself"
Yes.... Yes it did didn't it.... I thought it looked like that too. Even to my untrained eye, I was pretty sure that something had gone wrong when it exploded in a giant ball of flames!
nutrino99 10 months ago
@TheBoobmaster5000 they probably didnt know what happened. probably thought that what they were seeing was supposed to happen, plus it was pretty far, so the explosion couldve been mistaken for the solid rocket boosters separating
dashfront21 10 months ago
That woman's voice sounds like Jessica Savitch. Does anyone if it is?
PeterVO1 10 months ago
This video rips out your heart......
Cryo837 10 months ago 5
My Dad was there as a Boy Scout with some of his troupe, they'd been fascinated and raised money to go. He said the atmosphere there was more terrible than anything he could describe. My grandmother was with him that day. Years later as she declined into Alzheimer's, she'd have spells where she'd scream that my father was on a shuttle that was exploding.
awfulsails 10 months ago
It wasn't an explosion like most people think it actually disentigrated do to the 20g force on it which was only built to withstand like 5g. What looked like a firery explosion was just the release of hydrogen and oxygen gasses as it disintegrated.
mixedmartialarts777 10 months ago