Space Shuttle Challenger Explosion -

Thirty-six years ago the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded. I was living in Brigham City, with my husband and two children. My husband worked for Thiokol, working on the o-rings for the space shuttle. 

That morning, after getting Tyler off to school, and Jenna down for her morning nap, I crumpled down in my bed, sick with a sinus infection, thinking I would rest while Jenna napped. 

And with the TV on to see the Challenger lift-off, with a school teacher on board, the world was able to see the disaster that was quickly judged to be Thiokol's fault. 

There were Thiokol dignitaries in Florida for this event and NASA dignitaries in Utah for this event; as were media folks from all over the nation and beyond. And oh boy, what a toxic mess this turned out to be. 

Within moments, our entire town was overrun with news vans and cameras and reporters interviewing any person on the street. 

And thank God there wasn't social media in those days. Because half truths were told, assumptions were made, and fingers were pointed before any authority could speak. Oh gosh, what a frenzy that would be today! 

In our neighborhood in Brigham City there were many folks (mostly men) who worked at Thiokol. In fact I think Brigham City survived as well as it did because of Thiokol's employee base, its proximity to Thiokol (40 minute drive, typically car-pools), and the decent salaries of those employed, with a great cost of living in the area. 

Many of the employees came home from work early that day, and an eerie silence settled on the town. The celebratory energy that had surrounded the town dissipated to dust. My husband came home in a shock. There were so many words to say and nothing to share. 

Several men who lost their jobs because of this disaster, and they became the scape goats for all things Challenger-related. 

One of the over-looked tragedies of this was that of grieving families who were were stunned by the event, floored by the horrible press Thiokol, and in turn the employees and families, were given, and absolutely no help processing what this meant to their future, their employment. 

And a year later, because of these events, layoffs, contracts re-routed, and changes to the Space Shuttle plan, our little family moved to Northwestern Alabama, where my husband took a job with Thiokol in Northeastern Mississippi, to work on the redesign of the Space Shuttle and its engines. 

You know, there's so much more to a story than what is presented in the news, online or otherwise. We jump to conclusions so fast when there is an event that is public and publicized. And even though there were so many naysayers at Thiokol and in Florida at the Kennedy Space Center, the "show" had to go on. And the story will never be complete. 

We had two neighbors who were "convicted" without a jury and blamed and shamed for this event. We have a deep love and respect for Allan (Al) McDonald, who gave his life telling the truth.

This was such a disaster, and yet it wasn't only Thiokol's fault - yes, the o-rings were faulty, and many people were opposed, and many people were pressured to giving their "go-ahead." And many hearts ache, still, after 36 years, because of errors. Mine is one.