Posts tagged Hawaii
Challenger Disaster Live on CNN
Jan 27th
January 28th, 1986 at 11:39am EDT – The Space Shuttle Challenger Explodes on its 10th flight during mission STS-51-L. The explosion occurred 73 seconds after liftoff and was actually the result of rapid deceleration and not combustion of fuel.
CNN was the only national news station to broadcast the mission live, so thus what you are witnessing on this video is the only coverage of the disaster as it happened when it did. Approximately 17% of Americans witnessed the launch live, while 85% of Americans heard of the news within 1 hour of the event. According to a study, only 2 other times in history up to that point had news of an event disseminated so fast – the first being the announcement of JFK’s assassination in 1963, the second being news spread among students at Kent State regarding the news of FDR’s death in 1945. It has been estimated at the time that nearly 48% of 9-13 year olds witnessed the event in their classrooms, as McAuliffe was in the spotlight.
The 25th Space Shuttle mission altered the history of manned space exploration and represented the first loss of an American crew during a space mission (Apollo 1 was during a training exercise).
Christa McAuliffe was slated to be the first teacher in space for the Teacher in Space Program. As her maximum altitude was ~65,000ft (12.31 miles), she never made it to space. That title was given to Barbara Morgan of STS-118 aboard the shuttle Endeavour in August 2007, 22 and a half years after the Challenger Disaster. Morgan served as McAuliffe’s backup during STS-51-L. As Morgan is now part of the Educator in Space Program, she will be credited as the first “educator” in space, to distinguish her from McAuliffe.
Aboard Challenger during STS-51-L:
Francis “Dick” Scobee (Commander)
Michael Smith (Pilot)
Judith Resnik (Mission Specialist)
Ellison Onizuka (Mission Specialist)
Ronald McNair (Mission Specialist)
Gregory Jarvis (Payload Specialist)
Sharon Christa McAuliffe (Payload Specialist – Teacher in Space)
from CU
Boulder CU loses one of its own on Space Shuttle Challenger
from cu in space ELLISON S. ONIZUKA (COLONEL, USAF)
NASA ASTRONAUT (DECEASED)
PERSONAL DATA: Born June 24, 1946, in Kealakekua, Kona, Hawaii. Died January 28, 1986. He is survived by his wife, Lorna, and two daughters. He enjoyed running, hunting, fishing, and indoor/outdoor sports.
EDUCATION: Graduated from Konawaena High School, Kealakekua, Hawaii, in 1964; received bachelor and master of science degrees in Aerospace Engineering in June and December 1969, respectively, from the University of Colorado.
ORGANIZATIONS: Member of the Society of Flight Test Engineers, the Air Force Association, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Tau, and the Triangle Fraternity.
AWARDS / PROMOTIONS: Posthumously promoted to the rank of Colonel. Posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
SPECIAL HONORS: Presented the Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, Air Force Organizational Excellence Award, and National Defense Service Medal.
EXPERIENCE: Onizuka entered on active duty with the United States Air Force in January 1970 after receiving his commission at the University of Colorado through the 4-year ROTC program as a distinguished military graduate. As an aerospace flight test engineer with the Sacramento Air Logistics Center at McClellan Air Force Base, California, he participated in flight test programs and systems safety engineering for the F-84, F-100, F-105, F-111, EC-121T, T-33, T-39, T-28, and A-1 aircraft. He attended the USAF Test Pilot School from August 1974 to July 1975, receiving formal academic and flying instruction in performance, stability and control, and systems flight testing of aircraft. In July 1975, he was assigned to the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California, serving on the USAF Test Pilot School staff initially as squadron flight test engineer and later as chief of the engineering support section in the training resources branch. His duties involved instruction of USAF Test Pilot School curriculum courses and management of all flight test modifications to general support fleet aircraft (A-7, A-37, T-38, F-4, T-33, and NKC-135) used by the test pilot school and the flight test center. He has logged more than 1,700 hours flying time.
NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in January 1978, he completed a 1-year training and evaluation period in August 1979. He subsequently worked on orbiter test and checkout teams and launch support crews at the Kennedy Space Center for STS-1 and STS-2. He worked on software test and checkout crew at the Shuttle Avionics and Integration Laboratory (SAIL), and has supported numerous other technical assignments ranging from astronaut crew equipment/orbiter crew compartment coordinator to systems and payload development.
He first flew as a mission specialist on STS 51-C, the first Space Shuttle Department of Defense mission, which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida on January 24, 1985. He was accompanied by Captain Thomas K. Mattingly (spacecraft commander), Colonel Loren J. Shriver (pilot), fellow mission specialist, Colonel James F. Buchli, and Lieutenant Colonel Gary E. Payton (DOD payload specialist). During the mission Onizuka was responsible for the primary payload activities, which included the deployment of a modified Inertial Upper Stage (IUS). STS 51-C Discovery completed 48 orbits of the Earth before landing at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on January 27, 1985. With the completion of this flight he logged a total of 74 hours in space.
Colonel Onizuka was a mission specialist on STS 51-L which was launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 11:38:00 EST on January 28, 1986. The crew on board the Orbiter Challenger included the spacecraft commander, Mr. F.R. Scobee, the pilot, Commander M.J. Smith (USN), fellow mission specialists, Dr. R.E. McNair, and Dr. J.A. Resnik, as well as two civilian payload specialists, Mr. G.B. Jarvis and Mrs. S. C. McAuliffe. The STS 51-L crew died on January 28, 1986 when Challenger exploded 1 min. 13 sec. after launch.
JANUARY 2007
Boulder New Intriguing "Think" Book; plus Weekend Events
Sep 17th
Who Are You? What is your Life Path?
Find out in a new book entitled, Human Design: Discover the Person You Were Born To Be written by Chetan Parkyn and published by New World Library this month. The book cover is here through the courtesy of the publisher.
In 1972, while traveling in India, a psychic told the author that he should “get ready” to introduce thousands of people to a system that would enhance their lives. Over the next several years, Chetan was into face reading, Tarot cards, astrology, the I Ching and others. He found out about a teacher Ra Uru Hu who was teaching a new system called Human Design. Chetan studied this system which is a combination of four ancient wisdom traditions: astrology, the chakra system, the I Ching and the Kabhalah.
Chetan’s book teaches readers how to create their own life charts. The book includes some celebrity life charts from Madonna, Princess Diana, David Beckham and Sandra Bullock among others.
The “system” is a different way of finding self-awareness by using three keys: the type of natural being; authority which leads an individual to their own design by using their birth time and date; profile provides a portrait of how a person interacts with life and other people.
Author Chetan Parkyn Signings in Boulder/Denver areas:
….Friday September 24th – 6:30 pm – Spirit Wise Books – Free! – Centennial, CO – http://www.spiritwisegifts.com
….Saturday, September 25th – 3-5 pm – Isis Books – Free! – Englewood, CO – http://www.isisbooks.com
….Sunday September 26th – 10 am – 6 pm – Day Long Workshop – Creative Living Center – Denver, CO –http://www.thecreativelivingcenteronline.com
It is a fascinating philosophy and not light reading. Read it when you are in the mood to dig deep within yourselves. And, there is downloadable software to enhance reading this book.
THIS WEEKEND IN BOULDER:
Okay, this weekend is filled with activities in downtown Boulder and at the 29th Street Mall. Parades, music and much more are readily available.
On top of that the Four Mile Canyon Fire is out, people are returning to their home sites or homes to sift through their belongings. Time to let them heal. We will be covering the parade, if there really is a parade to honor firefighters, law enforcement and others involved in the recent fire. Pretty miraculous, wasn’t it, that 3000 people are safe after being evacuated either through the reverse 911 or the work of Boulder County Sheriff’s Deputies knocking on doors. What an exhausting 10 days!
Enjoy the lovely days and the football game! CU vs Hawaii. Aloha!