Few endeavors in history have so captured the imagination of the public, and the world, as has the U.S. space program. From the first manned shot, up and back down, of Alan Shepard
to the last shuttle flights, the space program has provided excitement, interest and productive discoveries.
For the massive endeavor, there have been very few tragedies. But, of those tragedies, there is one, more so than all others, that stands out as the worst of all accidents.
I remember how it unfolded. A few months before the flight, there was the announcement that a female school teacher had been selected to be the first "teacher" in space.
It was way cool. But there was a sad ending.
I remember sitting in my office at KBFW radio, on the day Challenger exploded. On that day, I had a contract negotiating session with the representative from the Associated Press. We were both stunned, as was the world, when an employee ran into my office and told us that the shuttle had exploded and the crew had perished. In pain we would relive that event, over and over again, as the television cameras captured the second by second unraveling of the space capsule.
Since the popular music that reigns in the land is disconnected from the historical events of any given day, seldom are the songs or titles sympathetic to or meaningful in the context of tragic events. However, the song that was #1 on the pop charts when the Challenger exploded, January 28, 1986, is an exception. It was a song that would help promote healing.
The theme of the hit involved friends, and friends looking out for friends. Four of the biggest names in the history of recorded music had gotten together to perform this song that, appropriately so, topped the charts for four weeks. The birth of the song came about as a result of a reunion between Burt Bacharach and the person who, historically, had turned more Bacharach songs into hits than any other performer.
To see the original artist, and her three superstar friends, perform the song that topped the charts the day the Challenger exploded, simply click on the original astronaut, the man of steel. He will guide you back to that tragic and fateful day in 1986 when the nation mourned.
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