What were you doing 25 years ago today.... (page 3)

Magwitch

FINALLY FREE... standing outside of Islington subway station in a cheap suit and tie peddling watchtower and awake magazines

Too Funny!! (and sad at the same time)

jay88

I was in 3 or 4 grade,....... we watched on television as it was happening. It was my first observation of a launch.

My teacher started to cry, and I couldn't understand why. I thought it was suppose to explode. I understood the gravity of the situation, when I was older.

miseryloveselders

Brother Dan, Misery, and Leaving WT, y'all are nothing but a bunch of babies.

Syl

Are you part of the cougar epidemic?

snowbird

Brother Dan, Misery, and Leaving WT, y'all are nothing but a bunch of babies.

Syl

Are you part of the cougar epidemic?

Of course not.

Syl

Editorial Note from NASA History Program Office: This is a transcript of the Challenger operational recorder voice tape. It reveals the comments of Commander Francis R.Scobee, Pilot Michael J. Smith, Mission Specialist 1 Ellison S. Onizuka, and Mission Specialist 2 Judith A. Resnik for the period of T-2:05 prior to launch through approximately T+73 seconds when loss of all data occurred.

The operational recorder was automatically activated at T-2:05 and normally runs throughout the mission. During the period of the prelaunch and the launch phase covered by the voice tape, Mission Specialist 3 Ronald E. McNair, Payload Specialist 1 S. Christa McAuliffe, and Payload Specialist 2 Gregory B. Jarvis were seated in the middeck and could monitor all voice activity but did not make any voice reports or comments.

This transcript was released following the accident on Jan. 28, 1986. A copy of the document is also available in the NASA Historical Reference Collection, History Office, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.

CDR..........Scobee

PLT..........Smith

MS 1.........Onizuka

MS 2.........Resnik

(The references to "NASA" indicate explanatory references NASA provided to the Presidential Commission.)

Time Crew Crew

(Min:Sec).........Position Comment

T-2:05............MS 2..... Would you give that back to me?

T-2:03............MS 2..... Security blanket.

T-2:02............MS 2..... Hmm.

T-1:58............CDR..... Two minutes downstairs; you gotta watch running down there?

(NASA: Two minutes till launch.)

T-1:47............PLT..... OK there goes the lox arm.

(NASA: Liquid oxygen supply arm to ET.)

T-1:46............CDR..... Goes the beanie cap.

(NASA: Liquid oxygen vent cap.)

T-1:44............MS 1..... Doesn't it go the other way?

T-1:42............ Laughter.

T-1:39............MS 1..... Now I see it; I see it.

T-1:39............PLT..... God I hope not Ellison.

T-1:38............MS 1..... I couldn't see it moving; it was behind the center screen.

(NASA: Obstructed view of liquid oxygen supply arm.)

T-1:33. .........MS 2..... Got your harnesses locked?

(NASA: Seat restraints.)

T-1:29............PLT..... What for?

T-1:28............CDR..... I won't lock mine; I might have to reach something.

T-1:24............PLT..... Ooh kaaaay.

T-1:04............MS 1..... Dick's thinking of somebody there.

T-1:03............CDR..... Unhuh.

T-59..............CDR..... One minute downstairs.

(NASA: One minute till launch.)

T-52..............MS 2..... Cabin Pressure is probably going to give us an alarm.

(NASA: Caution and warning alarm. Routine occurrence during prelaunch).

T-50..............CDR..... OK.

T-47..............CDR..... OK there.

T-43..............PLT..... Alarm looks good.

(NASA: Cabin pressure is acceptable.)

T-42..............CDR..... OK.

T-40..............PLT..... Ullage pressures are up.

(NASA: External tank ullage pressure.)

T-34..............PLT..... Right engine helium tank is just a little bit low.

(NASA: SSME supply helium pressure.)

T-32..............CDR..... It was yesterday, too.

T-31..............PLT..... OK.

T-30..............CDR..... Thirty seconds down there.

(NASA: 30 seconds till launch.)

T-25............PLT..... Remember the red button when you make a roll call.

(NASA: Precautionary reminder for communications configuration.)

T-23............CDR..... I won't do that; thanks a lot.

T-15..............CDR..... Fifteen.

(NASA: 15 seconds till launch.)

T-6...............CDR..... There they go guys.

(NASA: SSME Ignition.)

MS 2..... All right.

CDR..... Three at a hundred.

(NASA: SSME thrust level at 100% for all 3 engines.)

T+O...............MS 2..... Aaall riiight.

T+1...............PLT..... Here we go.

(NASA: Vehicle motion.)

T+7...............CDR.............Houston, Challenger roll program.

(NASA: Initiation of vehicle roll program.)

T+11..............PLT..... Go you Mother.

T+14..............MS 1..... LVLH.

(NASA: Reminder for cockpit switch configuration change. Local vertical/local horizontal).

T+15..............MS 2..... (Expletive) hot.

T+16..............CDR..... Ooohh-kaaay.

T+19..............PLT..... Looks like we've got a lotta wind here today.

T+20..............CDR..... Yeah.

T+22..............CDR..... It's a little hard to see out my window here.

T+28..............PLT..... There's ten thousand feet and Mach point five.

(NASA: Altitude and velocity report.)

T+30............ Garble.

T+35..............CDR..... Point nine.

(NASA: Velocity report, 0.9 Mach).

T+40..............PLT..... There's Mach one.

(NASA: Velocity report, 1.0 Mach).

T+41..............CDR..... Going through nineteen thousand.

(NASA: Altitude report, 19,000 ft.)

T+43..............CDR..... OK we're throttling down.

(NASA: Normal SSME thrust reduction during maximum dynamic pressure region.)

T+57..............CDR..... Throttling up.

(NASA: Throttle up to 104% after maximum dynamic pressure.)

T+58..............PLT..... Throttle up.

T+59..............CDR..... Roger.

T+60..............PLT..... Feel that mother go.

T+60............ Woooohoooo.

T+1:02............PLT..... Thirty-five thousand going through one point five

(NASA: Altitude and velocity report, 35,000 ft., 1.5 Mach).

T+1:05............CDR..... Reading four eighty six on mine.

(NASA: Routine airspeed indicator check.)

T+1:07............PLT..... Yep, that's what I've got, too.

T+1:10............CDR..... Roger, go at throttle up.

(NASA: SSME at 104 percent.)

T+1:13............PLT..... Uhoh.

T+1:13.......................LOSS OF ALL DATA.

VM44

To everyone...please do not post the "fake" transcript that the Weekly World News published.

It is a fake, and is both disgraceful and disrespectufl of those that perished!

brotherdan

Wow...thanks for that VM44. I had never seen that before.

darthfader

Its quite interesting the moments in our life that appear to be written into our memories with indellible ink. The Challenger accident was one of the major ones for me along with the Columbia crash. Both times I was a working when a friend called me and said the shuttle blew up -- I thought they were joking... I only wish they were.

It's a risky business made even more so by dangerous bureaucratic and political pressures and processes. With the final shuttle flights coming up in the next couple months, it seems like a sad ending to what could have been an amazing journey into space. I only hope the next phases of space exploration are as successful at touching the minds and hearts as the initial Apollo and Shuttle missions were. Those who lost their lives in persuit of that dream deserve more than a fizzled space program.

Leolaia

I saw it live on television that morning. The next day in computer class, instead of typing out Duran Duran lyrics as I usually did, I typed out what I recalled from President Reagan's speech the day before.

What were you doing 25 years ago today....

Magwitch

jay88

miseryloveselders

minimus

snowbird

VM44

VM44

brotherdan

darthfader

Leolaia

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