Remembering Challenger

Challenger
(by R.P.Edwards)

Down to earth

My feelings fall

From the heavens

From the "call"

From the promise

Hopeful flight

From the Day

Into the Night

Standing, Cheering!

Now sadness

Pain

So much fear

To fly again

But wait! O children

Look up and see

The dream lives on

In you!

In me!

Though mourning folds

Our eagle wings

With thoughts of those

No more to sing

But listen, now

And hear them say

No more restrained 

By mortal sway

"Rise up! Rise up!

Spread wings and fly!

Your dreams for fuel

Your compass, "Why?"

Striving!

Searching!

Working!

Go!

Beyond the limits!

Beyond the know!

And ne'er again

Shed tears for we

O, children, rise!

And boldly BE!

And know that death

Is but a door

So, while you breathe

Do more!

DO MORE!"

It was thirty years ago, today. I was sitting in some sort of class having something to do with my Broadcasting major at Fresno State (btw, I work in a steelmill, at least for another day). Anyway, Dr Monson, who was pretty white to begin with, poked his head in the door with a facial skin tone that was whiter still. He told us the Space shuttle, Challenger, had exploded.

Christa McAuliffe was the civilian "teacher" among the crew. It was a promo type thing; having an educator on board would help support the space program and give young minds a nudge in the direction of the hard sciences. How tragic when the thousands of television screens turned on for the big event, showed instead that disaster is always in the wings.

I'll not go on other than to briefly mention the other crew members, ALL of which I honor today. Using the above photo, we'll go from the top left on (including Christa). A link will give you some more info.

Ellison S. Onizuka

Christa McAuliffe

Greg Jarvis

Judy Resnik

Mike Smith

Dick Scobee

Ron McNair

Found another blog I wrote on the subject five years ago. A slightly different take: 
To touch the face of God

****

To touch the face of God

The Shock
(by R.P.Edwards)

A sudden shock
Untimely death
All to focus
Holding breath
Peripheries?
No time for these
It’s only life
And prayerful knees
How sad it takes
The jarring crack
To break our bondage
Bring us…back
But rest assured
That time will soothe
And forgetful we
We’ll wayward…move

I was sitting in the University classroom.  It was my normal routine.  I don’t remember the subject offered; nor the teacher who taught; but I do remember Dr. Monson popping his head in the door.  He, a middle-aged gent (a bit crusty, navy vet) was paler than usual as he relayed the shocking information: the space shuttle Challenger had exploded a little over a minute into its flight.  All seven aboard, including Social Studies teacher, Christa McAuliffe, died. Many in America watched and, by the end of the day, we, as a nation…refocused; at least for a little while.

Funny, I don’t remember a whole lot from my University days.  This Challenger episode, however, was a notable bookmark.  And it’s still there; twenty five years later.

Now, at this point I was going to gently segue into the sad truth that often it takes a jarring stop before we realize we’re on the wrong road; or at least drifting towards the rail.  But, due to a work interlude, I’ve had time to reconsider and I just don’t want to go there…today.  Instead I offer a couple links for your perusing.  The first is the speech given by President Ronald Reagan on that fateful day.  It, of course, finishes with the famous line:   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."  Reagan Speech

I thought it only appropriate to have the complete poem from which the words come.  It is titled, High Flight, and was written by a young aviator who died at 19 during World War II.    High Flight

Also, here is a link to President Bush’s speech concerning the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy.  Worth reading.  Columbia Speech

Conclusion? This life, at its longest; is short.   It would be wise to consider our individual ends.  For we all, sooner or later, will slip the surely bonds of earth….

****