Thoughts On The Anniversaries Of Two Space Shuttle Explosions || The Tranquil Parent

Thoughts on the anniversaries of two space shuttle explosions

By Jeremiah January 28, 2009

Today marks the anniversary of the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, which goes down in history not simply as an American tragedy, but as one that much of a generation of American children watched on live television. Our experiences then would inform how we - or our children's teachers - chose to expose this generation of children to a tragedy that redefined the term for America, the collapse of the World Trade Center's twin towers.

I'm not going to embed the Challenger video here, but you can watch it on YouTube, as I just did, if you like. I was ten at the time, and my class did not watch the liftoff; I think I was in the fourth grade, and either the fifth-graders or no one watched the live launch.

I don't remember being told anything about the event that day, although I may have been, by either my teachers or, later, my parents. What I do remember is waiting for the bus the next morning and absorbing the fifth-graders' jokes. I still remember a few of them, and since they really aren't funny, it's a clear sign of how easily any kind of data can get burned into your brain if it's your earliest exposure to it. This is one of those lessons for parenting that feels crucial but hard to apply. An embarrassing personal story will back me up on this.

Z learned of the Challenger explosion, by accident, during a visit we made to Space Center Houston a few weeks ago. The footage - which may have even excluded the actual explosion - was wedged into a largely triumphal (and very enjoyable) film of footage from the U.S. space program. When the explosion occurred, Z didn't even really understand what had happened, but got the "sad cue" from the change in music and the devastated faces of the NASA folks in the Johnson Space Center control room. I made the shockingly uninformed statement to her that that was the "only time" a shuttle had exploded and killed all its passengers. Shortly thereafter, I was reminded that it had happened again. Somehow, the Columbia disaster had slipped my mind, despite the fact that it was only six years ago, and I was nearly 30. That anniversary, oddly, is coming right up on February 1.

I've been putting off going back to correct myself ever since, wondering if she was really ready for all that yet. It kind of breaks my heart to explain that kind of stuff to a four-year-old who is obsessed with the wonders of space.

Meanwhile, reality crowds in on us all around. We listen to NPR in the car, and Z has gotten herself well-informed about war through careful listening and probing questions. I used to think of raising a child as exposing them to information in a carefully guided way, with some peer and other outside influences thrown in here and there. In reality, helping our children comprehend the harsher side of our world is a seat-of-the-pants operation. I still haven't told Z about the World Trade Center attacks. Depending on how you parent, that might sound odd - why would I? - but Z and I discuss current events, and recent history, all the time. That topic can wait.

I guess tonight's a good night to bring up the Challenger and Columbia events in a context that can bring her more facts than I had at hand for her earlier questions. Maybe we'll do something this week to commemorate these two events in a life-affirming way - a topic I promised to write about a while ago. I'm not sure if this should include watching the video of the event or not. It would certainly bring the reality of it home, but it is also literally watching death in reruns.

Did you see the Challenger explode on live television as a kid? Did seeing it, or not seeing it, change you in some way? Or was there another event, earlier or later, that had a similar impact on you or your children? How do you help your children absorb reality while protecting them from the stuff they may not be ready for yet?

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5 Comments

1. Christy [1/28/09]

The Challenger explosion was the first “where were you when” even that I can remember. I was about 6 years old at the time, and though I didn’t see it “live” (only a very very few people saw it live), I did see the re-plays over and over. My mom even taped it “for posterity”. (The fact that she used my bootleg copy of Muppets Take Manhattan probably is one of the reasons I remember it so vividly!)

I watched it so many times that I can see the smoke trail pattern in my head. The footage still gives me chills.

The Columbia disaster happened on the morning of my grandfather’s funeral. That day will always be etched in my memory as well.

My daughter is 3. We have not approached the subject of death/disaster with our daughter yet, mainly because we have not been forced to. I have absolutely no idea what we would tell her. I know that the day is coming when we will not be able to just gloss over the subject, but I really dread having to come up with something on the fly!

2. Kimberly [1/28/09]

I remember exactly where I was when the Challenger exploded, and I saw it happen live. We homeschooled - I think I was in 6th grade, and I was babysitting the younger kids of another homeschooling family. We had the tv on to watch the launch. I remember thinking, “This can’t be real, this can’t really be happening.” For some reason, the details of Columbia are not as clear. We haven’t really had to address these tough issues with our kids yet, but the discussions are inevitable!

3. Cecily T [1/29/09]

I remember the Challenger explosion. I was in school, I think 2nd or 3rd grade, and we didn’t watch it, but the principal came over the PA system and told the whole school what had happened. It was a big deal for me, I remember crying about it. Like Z, I was very into all things space and NASA at the time.

I agree with the others; when the Columbia went down, I remember, but it was not as imprinted on me as the Challenger explosion.

Of course, I remember quite vividly the WTC collapsing and how I had somehow managed to listen to a CD instead of the NY talk radio, or even the classical station. When I walked into work, I remember hearing radios from cubicles and thinking how odd it was. Our building was close enough that we could see the smoke rising up from the collapse.

V is only 18-months old, so we haven’t hit any of this with her, but I’m sad to think about what will be seared into her memory when she’s older.

4. Jennifer [1/29/09]

I was in 5th grade when the Challenger exploded. I’ll never forget it for a few reasons:
1) it was also my grandmother’s birthday
2) my teacher had been one of the 20 finalists to be the first Teacher in Space
3) it was my turn to work in the cafeteria that day and so I missed watching it live with my classmates and had to find out when they all came running in for lunch.

I’ve often wondered what it would have been like to witness that live. Would I have recognized what was happening?

The Columbia and the WTC both answered that for me...live and in full awareness of the tragedy, I was able to understand what my parents meant when they talked about remembering the smell of the junior high hallway when they heard the announcement that the President had been shot…

I’ve not thought about when I’d discuss these events with my own children, but as a teacher, I’ve witnessed 6 years old discuss it for 7 years...each year their facts get more and more confused. That’s a tragedy as well…

5. Kelly [1/30/09]

I was in 4th grade in Florida. We went outside to watch. We were all confused by the smoke trails, being close enough to see other shuttles take off, and never witnessing such. I can also picture the sky in my mind’s view. It made a big impression on me, even if I didn’t fully understand what was happening at the time.

When the Columbia incident occurred, it brought back all of the emotions from Challenger. Of literally having witnessed the crew die with the explosion. As the earlier post mentions, my mother also talked about being in school the day JFK died, and for me it was Challenger. My first real interaction with human tragedy.