I was barely a month old when the Apollo 1 astronauts died. I was a college freshman when Challenger exploded. And I was still in my 30s when Columbia broke apart.
Each January, NASA remembers those who died in the line of duty. I was in the undergraduate library watching the Challenger launch. When it exploded, the library fell almost totally silent, except for a few quiet "What just happened?" and "Oh my god..."
President Reagan's remarks about the crew still resonates with me to this day:
"The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God.'"
On a much lighter note, happy birthday to Elijah "Mr. Frodo" Wood, who turns 30 today.
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