"To Touch The Face of God"

I was just over at the Conversative Wahoo when I noticed a new gadget in the left-hand column of his page - This Date In History.

On this date in 1986, the space shuttle Challenger broke apart shortly after lift off. Do you recall what you were doing that day? I do. I was heading into my after school job at Sears when I stopped at the television display to watch the liftoff. By 1986, space shuttle launches had become fairly routine, but elementary school teacher Christa McAuliffe was to have been the first "Teacher In Space", so media coverage on this particular day was heavy.

It started off like any other launch but went downhill fairly quickly. I recall the television camera panning over to McAuliffe's parents at the grandstand, and the pained expression of shock and grief on their faces. Some of the shoppers who had gathered around to watch just stared ahead with blank expressions; one or two managed to mumble, "Oh my God". It was hard to get any work done that day.

I also remember the beautiful words that then-President Ronald Reagan delivered to a grieving nation later that evening. He was supposed to have delivered his State of the Union; but the events of the day warranted something more. He didn't fail to deliver.