Local teacher recalls Challenger disaster

CEDAR RAPIDS - Jill Henry remembers the cold. The shock. The overwhelming sadness on what should have been a great day in American history.

It was the first space shuttle launch she watched live.

It was the Challenger disaster.

Henry, a second grade teacher at Isaac Newton Christian Academy in Cedar Rapids, was living in Florida and teaching at Park Avenue Baptist School in Titusville at that time.

The school's playground offered a view of the shuttle launch at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral. Many teachers brought their students outside to watch, braving unusually cool temperatures to witness the launch of the first space shuttle with a civilian on board - New Hampshire teacher Christa McAuliffe.

“We watched as the shuttle went up,” Henry said. “I didn't realize, because it was my first launch, what happened, but it was pretty evident something was wrong.”

Henry said it was her students, many of them with parents who worked for NASA, who told her something wasn't right as smoke filled the sky. Middle school students listening to commentary on their radios confirmed their fears.

Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, killing the seven crew members on board.

Today is the 25th anniversary of the disaster.

“It was just one of those things that I never imagined would happen,” Henry said. “It was so cold that morning. I remember how cold everyone was, standing outside and waiting.”

The launch had been delayed several times because of the chilly temperatures. Henry, who had moved to Florida from Iowa with her family the summer before, was prepared with a winter coat. Her students, however, were dressed in light jackets.

The launch's continual delay, coupled with temperatures hovering in the low 30s, prompted some teachers to not take their students outside to watch the Challenger take flight. Some learned of the disaster later that day.

Millions, though, saw the tragedy play out on television. Students everywhere were tuned in to watch McAuliffe make history as the first participant in the Teacher in Space program.

“We were shocked,” Henry said. “That's all you can feel in the beginning. You don't know how to feel right away.”

Being a Baptist school, the students and staff at Park Avenue prayed for the crew members and their families. Henry discussed the tragedy with her students, while trying to maintain a sense of normalcy.

“If the kids wanted to talk about it, we talked about it, but then you get back to the day,” Henry said. “It helps to get back to a routine.”

The Challenger disaster became one of those “Where were you when ... ” moments. People remember where they were, what they were doing, when they first saw, or heard about, the tragedy.

“It's one of those stories you won't forget,” Henry said.