Today marks the 25th anniversary of the Challenger explosion. I won't sit here and discuss all the whys and wherefores when these are better than anything I could write on the subject: Challenger Disaster: A Closer Look at the Challenger Disaster and Its Aftermath from About.com and Davinder Mahal's explanation of the physics involved in the tragedy, complete with diagrams. I'd even suggest the wiki article, if only for its look at the cultural aftermath. (Did you know that Punky Brewster incorporated it into the show?)
Considering all the issues facing NASA lately and what they have and haven't done in the past quarter century, I think Michael Longcor's song is still relevant. No sign yet of that moonbase or those crewed missions to Mars. While I was too young at the time to remember the tragedy with Longcor's intensity, I do remember "the day that the Challenger died." Here is Pillar of Hell, one of the songs on Lovers, Heroes, and Rogues, currently available at Firebird Arts.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
That's a wonderful piece of music. To think that in the late seventies there was serious talk of cylindrical habitats 20 miles in length and power transmission down from space-based solar panels by microwave. The dream is dying more slowly.
A great tribute.
I was fifteen when it happened and was at home; I watched as it happened.
This song brings back strong memories of the emotions I felt.
Post a Comment