6. The Challenger Disaster

Chris knew exactly where she was on January , 1986. As a matter of fact, nearly all can recall what they were doing at the the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded. It is one the most tragic moments in the history of country, and it is one that will not forgotten. Chris was working as a clerk at clothing manufacturing plant in Commerce, California, which is three miles from downtown Los Angeles.

On that she was filing some documents when one of coworkers came through the door into a large area that contained about 20 employees. "The shuttle blew up," he shouted. Most employees were taken . They had no idea what he was talking . Once again he blurted out, "The space shuttle blew up in Florida." Chris knew at that something went very wrong.

The space shuttle program in the early 80s, and continued to this . The fleet consists of various shuttles that are to go into space, establish an orbit, and a variety of tasks. It was heralded as new era in space exploration. In the past, exploration vehicles were used once, and then discarded. shuttle program revolutionized the way space travel was .

Chris couldn't believe her ears. Soon almost all huddled around the lunch room TV set watching horror the events taking place. It was a day for the United States, but it was the beginning of a new era in space . The country rebounded from this disaster and restarted program after a couple of years. There have other accidents in the program, and most notably Columbia, which disintegrated upon reentry in February 2003, the U.S. will not be deterred. Space travel dangerous, but the spirit of the American people not be contained.