Oh sweet Jesus yes. A million times yes. I had a horrible, horrible experience today that I would tag with "clusterfuck, slander, administrators." I now anticipate spending the next two days (at least) dealing with it, not that I don't have plenty of other things I'm supposed to be doing. I cannot write about it on here, because the details are just too specific in their mindboggling WTFness, but oh how I would love to. Let's just say the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and this has pretty much cured me of wanting to help out any students at all anymore.
Oh, Challenger... I saw that go in the air I did, living in Florida at the time. None of us realized what was wrong (the boosters always make extra clouds when they separate), but then we went back inside and the TVs were "oh the humanity."
I was on a whale-watching boat when the Challenger exploded. Actually we heard about the explosion going TO the whale-watching trip, inside Mr. L's 1967 VW "Beetle." It was definitely not a joyous occasion....they ran the footage over-and-over, the main fuel tank vaporizing again-and again-AND AGAIN.... if they had in-cabin video of the crew melting into atoms, they would have run that tape until it broke. And that crew! The second female astronaut, Judith Resnik; the first teacher-in-space Christa MacAuliffe; Ellison Onizuka, Japanese-American, engineer, Lt. Col. in the Air Force; Ronald McNair, second black astronaut who was going to record a musical piece in space; Dick Scobee, the commander, a seasoned pilot; Gregory Jarvis and Michael Smith, the former an engineer with years of experience, the latter a former Navy pilot. The sole person with no real experience (save for a quick course in flying jet aircraft) was Christa MacAuliffe; and if those Goddamned O-rings had been checked again and the mission moved by a week, she would have moved uneventfully into the history books....but no. Fuck no.
I went home for lunch so I could watch it. It took a few beats to realize what had happened. The horror and the waste, and I was devastated thinking of Christa MacAuliffe's students, and how their excitement and innocence were just destroyed in that split second.
My roommate walked in and wondered why I was so upset. I explained what happened. "Meh," she said. I never respected nor liked her again.
Have any of you seen Edward Tufte's analysis of how NASA presented the o-ring information, and how the visual organization of that info led to its tragic oversight?
Yes, Tufte does a great job - Powerpoint is evil! I had the (very expensive) books ordered for the library so that I could enjoy them and point students that direction.
I know, books are so Middle Ages and all... He shows that proper visualization can save lives.
Most of them can't remember what happened last week, let alone before they were born. And around here, 9/11 was "commemorated" with parades and brat fries. FML.
You got me with JFK (unless being in utero at the time makes me non-hateworthy). I definitely remember the Challenger explosion (college, and still naive/in denial enough to hope for a while that they'd find the passenger cabin intact somewhere), Sadat's assassination (and the various attempts on Ford, Reagan, and . . . was there one on Carter?), the Nixon resignation, and, of course, 9/11. Sometimes I don't trust those who don't also remember, and sometimes I wonder whether I'm getting old enough that soon the operative question will be whether those who don't remember such incidents (but will undoubtedly have their own landmarks) trust me. There are a lot of them, and, for better or for worse, they'll be running the world soon.
The Challenger lifted off between classes when I was in high school. I walked into History and the teacher had it on a big TV (we were going to watch a video about "something") because she thought it would be neat to have the Teacher in Space thing on before we started class. We were still trickling in when it happened. A teacher from down the hall that was talking to our teacher forgot about his class for almost the entire class period. He just stood there staring at the TV.
Needless to say that day's lesson plan was not followed in our class. I don't know what happened to his class.
I can beat that: ANYONE BORN AFTER NAPOLEON BURNT MOSCOW!!!!11uno
***
Back to serious mode...
To add insult to injury, after SLS-51-L went kerflooie the government sent us these packets* with photos of the crew and stickers of the mission patch in a commemorative folder, no mention that the crew was blasted/burnt into raw meat in the techno blurbage that covered the folder. I kept the folder, but away in a drawer, along with a commemerative Samantha Smith 5 kopeck stamp, but that is another story.
Just to clarify, yes they had a 21 inch idiot box on board the whale-watching ship, so I got to see the footage more than five times. Nobody turned the set off at all....it was shattering.
___________________________________
* Yes, we were in the Teacher in Space program, we hoped to see Christa MacAuliffe teach from orbit. That schlock film "SpaceCamp" was no replacement.
Yeah, Challenger. The day my young nephew had been waiting for all month. The day my professor spent class time speculating, with relish, about the details of the astronauts' deaths. How do the families of public victims bear it?
But, folks, here in Sandusky, Arkansas, we recently learned that unless you were actually there, history doesn't affect you or your students.
What does it say about me that I hate all those people?
ReplyDeleteChallenger? I was going to say anyone born after Nixon resigned but am flexible..
ReplyDeleteTartar sauce! I miss the cut-off by a month.
ReplyDeleteOh sweet Jesus yes. A million times yes. I had a horrible, horrible experience today that I would tag with "clusterfuck, slander, administrators." I now anticipate spending the next two days (at least) dealing with it, not that I don't have plenty of other things I'm supposed to be doing. I cannot write about it on here, because the details are just too specific in their mindboggling WTFness, but oh how I would love to. Let's just say the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and this has pretty much cured me of wanting to help out any students at all anymore.
ReplyDeleteOh, Challenger... I saw that go in the air I did, living in Florida at the time. None of us realized what was wrong (the boosters always make extra clouds when they separate), but then we went back inside and the TVs were "oh the humanity."
ReplyDeleteIt still gets me. right there.
Taking off the leather trenchcoat....
ReplyDeleteI was on a whale-watching boat when the Challenger exploded. Actually we heard about the explosion going TO the whale-watching trip, inside Mr. L's 1967 VW "Beetle." It was definitely not a joyous occasion....they ran the footage over-and-over, the main fuel tank vaporizing again-and again-AND AGAIN.... if they had in-cabin video of the crew melting into atoms, they would have run that tape until it broke. And that crew! The second female astronaut, Judith Resnik; the first teacher-in-space Christa MacAuliffe; Ellison Onizuka, Japanese-American, engineer, Lt. Col. in the Air Force; Ronald McNair, second black astronaut who was going to record a musical piece in space; Dick Scobee, the commander, a seasoned pilot; Gregory Jarvis and Michael Smith, the former an engineer with years of experience, the latter a former Navy pilot. The sole person with no real experience (save for a quick course in flying jet aircraft) was Christa MacAuliffe; and if those Goddamned O-rings had been checked again and the mission moved by a week, she would have moved uneventfully into the history books....but no. Fuck no.
And that explosion haunts me to this day.
[leather trenchcoat back on.]
I went home for lunch so I could watch it. It took a few beats to realize what had happened. The horror and the waste, and I was devastated thinking of Christa MacAuliffe's students, and how their excitement and innocence were just destroyed in that split second.
ReplyDeleteMy roommate walked in and wondered why I was so upset. I explained what happened. "Meh," she said. I never respected nor liked her again.
Have any of you seen Edward Tufte's analysis of how NASA presented the o-ring information, and how the visual organization of that info led to its tragic oversight?
Yes, Tufte does a great job - Powerpoint is evil! I had the (very expensive) books ordered for the library so that I could enjoy them and point students that direction.
ReplyDeleteI know, books are so Middle Ages and all... He shows that proper visualization can save lives.
[Unshouldering bazooka]
ReplyDeleteOh, Strel- I *heart* you.
[Shouldering bazooka]
Most of them can't remember what happened last week, let alone before they were born. And around here, 9/11 was "commemorated" with parades and brat fries. FML.
@Morose - I'll see your Nixon and raise you Woodstock.
ReplyDeleteAJ: let's go for it. Anyone after JFK in Dallas....
ReplyDeleteI just KNEW someone would go JFK. Shit. I fold.
ReplyDeleteYou got me with JFK (unless being in utero at the time makes me non-hateworthy). I definitely remember the Challenger explosion (college, and still naive/in denial enough to hope for a while that they'd find the passenger cabin intact somewhere), Sadat's assassination (and the various attempts on Ford, Reagan, and . . . was there one on Carter?), the Nixon resignation, and, of course, 9/11. Sometimes I don't trust those who don't also remember, and sometimes I wonder whether I'm getting old enough that soon the operative question will be whether those who don't remember such incidents (but will undoubtedly have their own landmarks) trust me. There are a lot of them, and, for better or for worse, they'll be running the world soon.
ReplyDeleteThe Challenger lifted off between classes when I was in high school. I walked into History and the teacher had it on a big TV (we were going to watch a video about "something") because she thought it would be neat to have the Teacher in Space thing on before we started class. We were still trickling in when it happened. A teacher from down the hall that was talking to our teacher forgot about his class for almost the entire class period. He just stood there staring at the TV.
ReplyDeleteNeedless to say that day's lesson plan was not followed in our class. I don't know what happened to his class.
ANYONE BORN AFTER THE BATTLE OF ANTIETAM!!!!!11one
ReplyDeleteI can beat that:
ReplyDeleteANYONE BORN AFTER NAPOLEON BURNT MOSCOW!!!!11uno
***
Back to serious mode...
To add insult to injury, after SLS-51-L went kerflooie the government sent us these packets* with photos of the crew and stickers of the mission patch in a commemorative folder, no mention that the crew was blasted/burnt into raw meat in the techno blurbage that covered the folder. I kept the folder, but away in a drawer, along with a commemerative Samantha Smith 5 kopeck stamp, but that is another story.
Just to clarify, yes they had a 21 inch idiot box on board the whale-watching ship, so I got to see the footage more than five times. Nobody turned the set off at all....it was shattering.
___________________________________
* Yes, we were in the Teacher in Space program, we hoped to see Christa MacAuliffe teach from orbit. That schlock film "SpaceCamp" was no replacement.
Yeah, Challenger. The day my young nephew had been waiting for all month. The day my professor spent class time speculating, with relish, about the details of the astronauts' deaths. How do the families of public victims bear it?
ReplyDeleteBut, folks, here in Sandusky, Arkansas, we recently learned that unless you were actually there, history doesn't affect you or your students.
At least this post has the right size font.