February 05, 2010
Yeah, I even have it on video
Never-before-seen video of the Challenger space shuttle disaster has surfaced after almost a quarter-century locked away in a Florida basement. The chilling amateur footage was recorded by retired optometrist Jack Moss on his new home video camera on the morning of 28 January 1986. The four-minute film captures the moment the shuttle exploded, 73 seconds after launch from Florida's Kennedy Space Centre, killing all seven astronauts on board and setting Nasa's manned spaceflight programme back years. It is believed to be the only amateur film in existence of the world's worst space disaster, recorded in an era before mobile phone cameras, when even home camcorders were rare. "I don't think Mr Moss thought it was anything significant. He put it down in his basement with other tapes he had and just forgot about it," said Marc Wessels, executive director of the Space Exploration Archive, a Kentucky-based group that collects space memorabilia for educational purposes.more from Richard Luscombe at The Guardian here.
Posted by Morgan Meis at 10:11 AM | Permalink
Comments
"I don't think Mr Moss thought it was anything significant. He put it down in his basement with other tapes he had and just forgot about it,"
Except for the part where he says "so that's sorta an historical moment we got right here on tape, I guess."
Posted by: Carlos | Feb 5, 2010 11:14:49 AM
It sickening to hear the calmness and casualness in the voices of the people in response to such national disaster and sad occasion.
Posted by: Anil C Thakuria , MD | Feb 5, 2010 12:41:16 PM
Anil,
Sickening? They didn't really know what was going on. Do you want them to scream hysterically?
Posted by: Eli | Feb 5, 2010 12:45:29 PM
"It sickening to hear the calmness and casualness in the voices of the people in response to such national disaster and sad occasion."
I couldn't agree more, hell AFAIK they didn't even drive down and see if they could pull anyone out of the wreckage!
Posted by: Fill | Feb 5, 2010 1:38:21 PM
Really? You guys are gonna go with the cynical back-and-forth over this? Clean it up...
Posted by: mentalelevation | Feb 5, 2010 2:07:42 PM
Notice the bush wrapped in sheets for protection from freezing temperatures... a reminder of the fatal O-ring failure, right here.
On January 28, 1986, I was in high school about 200 miles southeast of the launch site. Watching liftoffs had become routine - you stepped outside a minute or so after launch time and waited for what looked like a giant, fast-moving vapor trail to rise over the northern horizon. Only this time, it didn't happen.
I figured the launch had been scrubbed and went on to class - where one of my buddies told me what had happened: "It blew up, man."
As "casual" as that statement sounds, the truth is that we were both- we were all - in shock. Being teenagers, we expressed that by not expressing anything.
Emotions came later.
Posted by: Jim Kelly | Feb 5, 2010 3:16:48 PM
a reminder of the fatal O-ring failure, right here.
Good observation. I saw the wrap and only thought plants in Florida would never make it up here in NY. Didn't recall the reason for the O ring failure in the first place.
Posted by: Carlos | Feb 5, 2010 5:39:26 PM
Jim Kelly: "Emotions came later."
Strikes familiar. It was the same pattern of reaction among people watching on TV the planes fly into the twin towers, a few minutes after it occurred. It was as though someone you didn't know pressed a wrong button you didn't know even existed until a moment ago, but still not sure what it all adds up to, just that, "it doesn't look right."
Posted by: Crazyfinger | Feb 6, 2010 2:13:04 PM
>hell AFAIK they didn't even drive down and see if they could pull anyone out of the wreckage!<
Really? The wreckage was out in the Atlantic Ocean.
Think and know before you spout off.
Posted by: G | Feb 11, 2010 10:03:49 AM
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