There’s something eerie and very sad about this beautiful photo of the Space Shuttle Challenger, crawling in the mist to Launch Complex 39-B. Days later, on January 28, 1986, the spacecraft disintegrated 73 seconds after lift-off, killing all astronauts aboard.
I remember watching the launch at home, just a kid about to go to high school, crying in disbelief. I just couldn’t understand how this happened. It was only then when I understood the courage of those men and women strapping themselves to tanks full of liquid oxygen. NASA commentator’s words—”obviously, a major malfunction”—and the silence from ground control will resonate inside me forever. This photo makes me realize that the shitstorm can come at any time and, sometimes, no matter how hard you try, things explode in a big ball of fire. [Ibeching via It’s Full of Stars]
