I was up early on that January day, anticipating watching the launch on TV, as I always did. But I remember thinking, they've had probably the most delays in the shuttle program. That was a little bit disconcerting, for some reason. A few minutes later, I momentarily felt something - a strong feeling that something bad had happened to the shuttle. I had been getting ready in the bathroom so I wasn't actually watching the coverage at that moment. After all, they were fairly routine by that time. But just then my Mom called and said I better watch - the shuttle had exploded. From three thousand miles away I had felt it ..... still I could hardly believe what they were showing on CNN.

I wrote letters of condolence to two of the less-famous Challenger astronaut families. Months later, I received this thank-you letter from NASA and a card from one of the families. I, for one, will never forget the Challenger....I know from first-hand experience that it was an excellent shuttle.