July 1969 was without a doubt the most incredible moment in the history of the space program and perhaps since the dawn of human history.But just as the triumph of that day brung joy around the world the infamous dates of January 28,1986 and January 16 2003 brung tears of sorrow as 14 other brave human beings made the ultimate sacrafice in giving their lives though unwillingly to in the pursuit of our planets surrounding universe.

Both the Jan.86 and 03 flights had other things besides the tragic ironies that brought them together in history such as the hype surrounding both missions.For the 86' flight it was primarily the anticipation of Christy McAuliffe going into space of Challenger as she was to become the first civilian and school teacher to take an outer space trip.It was seen as a huge moment for Educators and their pupils throughout the United States to have one of their counter parts be able to experience the science and physics of outer space and then come back to share that knowledge with the world through a teachers eyes and way.After several delays NASA finally gave the go ahead for the flight that morning and at 11:38 am it lifted off to the cheering of over 10,000 spectators off of Cape Canaveral Florida.But just 73 seconds into the flight tragedy would strike as a major malfunction in the large external tank during a throttle boost procedure caused a fire that triggered a massive explosion.It took several minutes for both NASA and onlookers to realize that Flight STS-51-L and its 7 member crew were lost.





For the 03' flight the hype surrounded another first.At a time when unrest and conflict in the Middle East between Israelis and Palestinians was at its peak the sight of Israel's first astronaut Illan Ramon going into space ignited many hearts and minds in that war torn region with hope of a better future and something to be positive about.Ramon was not only Israel's first astronaut but also a war hero and military pilot who flew missions in the 1973 Israeli/Arab war and the mission to bomb nuclear reactors in Iran.He was very highly looked upon both in his respective country and those withing the American (NASA) space program.He and his 6 colleagues lifted off into space from Cape Canaveral off the coast of Florida on the veteran space shuttle Columbia just as Challenger did on January 16,2003 as flight mission STS-107 without a hitch.For 16 days it orbited planet earth on an internation science research mission.On early morning of Feb 1st the shuttle was to return to Earth and land safely via runway near the Kennedy Space center however unknown to NASA staff and the crew during launch 2 weeks earlier,loosened foam and broken away from the sides of the shuttle and damaged crucial areas of the the ship's outer core that help make up its heat shield thus,tragically and unexpectedly at approximately 1:59 pm as it renentered earth's atmosphere flying over Texas the space craft disintergrated into several large and small pieces killing all 7 crew members aboard and once again striking a blow to the space program and the world.





As we go foward to the future with this new year and the internal parts of this century let us not forget ALL those throughout history who have given their lives and efforts to help us get where we are today.

One of those sad moments in history where you remember exactly where you were and ask why did it have to happen that way

RIP to all those astronauts who gave their life in pursuit of science exploration and condolences to their families.

RIP

They are heroes,every single one.

And yesterday marked 25 years since Challenger.

RIP guys....

lol Roger that Houston we have all systems go and are cleared for take off in T-minus.......

Im glad to hear that Mark decided to go ahead with the final shuttle mission.Thats a great success story,though unfortunete in some ways.His wife a politician survives assassination to the amazement of the world and he commands the final space shuttle mission in NASA history.

What a story of enduring and overcoming.They should make a movie about it.Such an inspiration.