I was nearly five years old when the space shuttle Challenger exploded. I remember my mom telling me about this teacher that was going to be on board, and even though I didn't grasp the total significance of the occasion, I still thought it was exciting.

The day of the launch, I was at my babysitter, Linda's house. I remember coming down the stairs and seeing Linda standing with her arms crossed in front of the TV. On the screen was a "Y" shaped cloud. The announcer was exclaiming about this tragedy and replaying the explosion over and over. Linda told me what had happened, and I decided right then, that I never wanted to be an astronaut. Never.