Belated remembrance on Challenger

Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of the space shuttle Challenger‘s destruction with all seven astronauts lost. Such a shame too since the US’s success-safety record was pretty good compared to the Soviet Union’s (their losses are still up for debate). 
 
I remember the day it happened pretty well too. I was a high school senior back in Beulah, ND. Every morning I had PE first followed by Physics. When I arrived, this classmate I knew told me with a rather odd face that the space shuttle exploded. This guy was a bit of a wiseass so I answered with a “yeah, right” attitude (my faith in NASA was pretty strong back then). Oddly, I knew the shuttle was scheduled because this Bismarck morning DJ was lamenting over the past cancellations. Well, the wiseguy was right and it pretty much generated what was coined on the show Mission Hill, a media snow day. I lived in North Dakota though so I don’t know how unproductive the rest of the country or world became. This was a time before the Internet in its current form existed and cable TV usually meant access to 50 channels (in Beulah, it only filled up the VHF channels of your TV). 
 
For the next couple of months, the mean-spirited jokes pervaded, especially if it had anything to do with the Bud Light ad campaign. What can you do, high school students have cruel, insensitive senses of humor, myself included. 
 
I don’t want to go on about something so morbid though. I only decided to post something about Challenger because my wife (Somara) pointed out an article that dispels the persistent ignorance about the accident. I think it’s important because the Internet really fuels, accelerates and compounds the collective stupidity in America. Never really gave the sad event much thought anymore myself. I only recall that it was avoidable and the blame usually went to sections of NASA and its contractors cutting corners. NASA’s reputation has been severely damaged since and the loss of Columbia probably put them in the same doghouse as FEMA. I did like this article since it helps shut down the usual vilefying noise against the Environmental movement.