I grew up in
Titusville, FL only a few miles from the
Kennedy Space Center. Space science and travel always fascinated me and I watched every launch as a kid. When the
Challenger disaster happened 1986 I was watching the launch and the subsequent tragedy. I was almost six years old at the time, so I didn't understand all that was going on except that what I was seeing was not supposed to happen. Seeing the footage of the
Columbia disaster on TV this morning brings back all those bad memories and sickening feelings. I cannot imagine the sorrow that friends and relatives of the astronauts are feeling today.
Rest in peace, explorers.