Author Topic: Live Challenger CNN video..  (Read 18063 times)

Offline Zoomer30

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Live Challenger CNN video..
« on: 02/26/2007 11:54 pm »
I had never seen the CNN coverage of the Challenger 51-L liftoff.  Back in 1986 we did not have cable at our house and by that time in the shuttle flight program the only place that carried it was CNN (and perhaps CSPAN).   It seems more real when you see it "as it happened".  I can say this:  CNN has gotten a lot better science reporters over the years, the guy on the tape did not even seem to undertand what he was looking at.


Offline nathan.moeller

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Re: Live Challenger CNN video..
« Reply #1 on: 02/27/2007 12:50 am »
I'm sure most people didn't know exactly what they were looking at when it first happened.  Probably the only people who had any idea what had just occurred were the engineers at ATK who said that launching would be a bad idea.  No one at the press site had a clue that it had just disintegrated, nor did most of the people watching on TV.  This was 17 months before I was born but I wouldn't have guessed it either if I'd been there.  It wouldn't have taken too terribly long to see debris falling and realize that it was destroyed, but I would have been thoroughly confused for the first 30 seconds or so.  Still very sad.  Let's hope it never happens again.
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Offline shuttlefan

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RE: Live Challenger CNN video..
« Reply #2 on: 02/27/2007 01:55 am »
Quote
Zoomer30 - 26/2/2007  6:54 PM

I had never seen the CNN coverage of the Challenger 51-L liftoff.  Back in 1986 we did not have cable at our house and by that time in the shuttle flight program the only place that carried it was CNN (and perhaps CSPAN).   It seems more real when you see it "as it happened".  I can say this:  CNN has gotten a lot better science reporters over the years, the guy on the tape did not even seem to undertand what he was looking at.


 John Holliman, God rest his soul, did a great job of the launches, after Tom Mintier and Tony Clark. You could tell John was really into it. Miles O'Brien does a great job of filling his shoes. I sometimes wonder what John Holliman would think of the past few years with the tragic turn of events. Bill Harwood of CBS does great also, on the rare occasion we see him on the air.  Too bad CBS has cut back on its coverage so much since STS-114. Another reporter I liked watching, by the name of Bruce Hall, with Dan Rather on CBS for the first several post-Challenger launches, also did a great job. How many of you remember him? :cool:

Offline Stevo

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Re: Live Challenger CNN video..
« Reply #3 on: 02/27/2007 02:33 am »
Tom Mintier wasn't bad at covering the launches. If anything his fault in the early post-Challenger years was not "dumbing down" the technobabble for John Q. Public. For those of us who loved the technobabble, he was great. John Holliman was the best because of his enthusiasm for spaceflight, but I always thought he tried to dumb down the technical details too much to get John Q. Public excited. Miles is technically sound and enthusiastic, but he can never seem to shut up during a launch sequence. A classic example was STS-114 where he stopped talking around T-20 seconds and started babbling again after tower clear. For my dollar, I don't want to hear anything but the roar of the rocket, the CAPCOM, CDR, and maybe the PAO during the first 2 minutes of flight.

Offline Austin

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RE: Live Challenger CNN video..
« Reply #4 on: 02/27/2007 02:50 am »
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Zoomer30 - 26/2/2007  4:54 PM

the guy on the tape did not even seem to undertand what he was looking at.


Seems to me he knew what had just happened -- he said that it appears the boosters had blown away in "some kind of an explosion."

Quote
John Holliman, God rest his soul, did a great job of the launches, after Tom Mintier and Tony Clark. You could tell John was really into it. Miles O'Brien does a great job of filling his shoes.

I was really sorry when I heard that Holliman had died in a car crash.  I agree, he did do a good job.  And don't forget good old (steady as she goes) John Zarella, who still does a good job occasionally helping with the launch coverage.  I have to say though, that as far as overall knowledge of the space program, Miles O'Brien is the best.

The best way to view a shuttle launch, aside from actually being there however, is sans media coverage as well as PAO.  Just everybody shut up and let me listen in on the loop, and I'm a happy camper.
 ;)

Offline Zoomer30

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RE: Live Challenger CNN video..
« Reply #5 on: 02/27/2007 03:43 am »
When I saw the the accident after I got home from school I noticed that you could see a "flare" that seemed to be coming out of the main engines, I had a hunch that was not supposed to be there.  At the time I did not really "understand" how the SRBs where put together so I did not realize I was looking at the plume from the breech ed joint as seen from the back so to speak.  If you watch the video you see it from about the time of throttle up up until they go to the close up.  I think thats why it took a few days to really say "thats what caused it".  Had it been the other SRB it would have been fully visible and obvious that it was not a thing that was supposed to happen.

Offline acrysell

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Re: Live Challenger CNN video..
« Reply #6 on: 02/27/2007 09:20 am »
My first experience of CNN was that afternoon in the UK.   I turned the teletext service of the BBC on to see a news flash saying that the space shuttle had exploded.   I then went through all four of the UK channels at the time to see if any was showing any coverage.   I think the first was ITV but I'm a BBC man and BBC2 soon broke its schedules to pick up the story and showed us some of CNN's coverage.   I taped some of it and some of the later news bulletins which I still have, somewhere.   When I find them I will try to find a way of posting them.

Offline shuttlefan

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RE: Live Challenger CNN video..
« Reply #7 on: 02/27/2007 11:47 am »
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Austin - 26/2/2007  9:50 PM

Quote
Zoomer30 - 26/2/2007  4:54 PM

the guy on the tape did not even seem to undertand what he was looking at.


Seems to me he knew what had just happened -- he said that it appears the boosters had blown away in "some kind of an explosion."

Quote
John Holliman, God rest his soul, did a great job of the launches, after Tom Mintier and Tony Clark. You could tell John was really into it. Miles O'Brien does a great job of filling his shoes.

I was really sorry when I heard that Holliman had died in a car crash.  I agree, he did do a good job.  And don't forget good old (steady as she goes) John Zarella, who still does a good job occasionally helping with the launch coverage.  I have to say though, that as far as overall knowledge of the space program, Miles O'Brien is the best.

The best way to view a shuttle launch, aside from actually being there however, is sans media coverage as well as PAO.  Just everybody shut up and let me listen in on the loop, and I'm a happy camper.
 ;)
Ya, I DID remember John Zarella. I also like just listening to the loop. Sometimes the reporters don't shut up until the final seconds and I find that very annoying.... :cool:

Offline nathan.moeller

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RE: Live Challenger CNN video..
« Reply #8 on: 02/27/2007 01:29 pm »
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shuttlefan - 27/2/2007  6:47 AM

Ya, I DID remember John Zarella. I also like just listening to the loop. Sometimes the reporters don't shut up until the final seconds and I find that very annoying.... :cool:

Agreed.  My friend Gary and I watched the STS-116 launch via FOX News in December, as I don't get NASA TV at my apartment.  The anchor didn't shut up until T-11 seconds or so and he said 'Let's listen in.'  Gee thanks...that's what we've been wanting to do through the entire commentary.  Thankfully he didn't talk again until after SRB-sep.  But then he started talking about his own personal relations to space and my brain started to melt.  I muted it and just watched the final minutes of the ascent and listened in on the NTV webcast, even though it was 50 seconds behind what was happening.
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Offline Austin

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RE: Live Challenger CNN video..
« Reply #9 on: 02/27/2007 01:53 pm »
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nathan.moeller - 27/2/2007  6:29 AM


My friend Gary and I watched the STS-116 launch via FOX News

My apologies!!

  :)

Offline gordo

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Re: Live Challenger CNN video..
« Reply #10 on: 02/27/2007 02:21 pm »
I've got and hour or so of UK coverage from a few mins after it happend.  Will dig it out and put it up in the next day or 2.

Tim Furness got the cause spot-on a few hours later on a TV news Special, he picked up the plume from the SRB.

Offline astronaut23

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Re: Live Challenger CNN video..
« Reply #11 on: 02/27/2007 04:17 pm »
This just doesn't have the same impact on me as it used to.  Sorry to say that.

Its kinda of shame but after the shock of the Twin Towers coming down, another shuttle disaster, and the waste of lives and money in Iraq I've kind of become hard hearted and desensitized to these sort of events.  Its sort of like I've come to expect the worst in life.  I think I've become real cynical.

Theres just too many things stacking up to derail progress in the space program.  Its like the Vietnam screwup and the end of the Apollo program all over again.  Now its the Iraq screwup and the end of the Shuttle program.

I was real young when Challenger was lost.  At that time I really thought I'd grow up to be an astronaut.  My Mom said that I told her I hoped when I flew my shuttle wouldn't blow up.  I'd still love to go up there, but I don't really believe I'll get the chance.  I didn't really understand the low odds of getting to be an astronaut when I was a kid.  I had big dreams.  It kind of a shame cause I wished I could still dream that big.  I quit dreaming somewhere along the way.

Offline STS-500Cmdr

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Re: Live Challenger CNN video..
« Reply #12 on: 02/27/2007 05:17 pm »
I miss the late John Holliman of CNN--he was wise enough to shut up at T-31 with something like "let's listen into George Diller"  and he'd keep quiet until the SRBs dropped--unless there was a call about a warning light or something- that was awesome--i always love hearing "and we have a go for sequence start...."  John died sadly in a car crash in 1998.  Miles O'Brien and Zarrella are great--CNN has always been my pick for watching these--with Holliman, O'Brien, Zarrella--they've been doing this a while and seem to do their homework on how things work and they are about the only ones in the media who understand the space shuttle isnt like getting in the car and going to Dunkin Donuts.  Only Miles likes to talk until the T-12 or so.  I wish he'd stop at about T-31.  I liked John's style of 'dumbing down'--made things simple--i learned things that way--i learn how to explain it simply to other people in conversations.  Like i said i like the NASA PAO's "T-31 auto sequence start, 15 sound suppression water system, etc....3 engines throttling down", etc, etc.
Three Engines onboard Endeavour have now throttled back to 2/3rds throttle to prepare the spacecraft to pass through the area of maximum dynamic pressure and to go supersonic

Offline nathan.moeller

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RE: Live Challenger CNN video..
« Reply #13 on: 02/27/2007 07:02 pm »
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Austin - 27/2/2007  8:53 AM

Quote
nathan.moeller - 27/2/2007  6:29 AM


My friend Gary and I watched the STS-116 launch via FOX News

My apologies!!

  :)

It wasn't as bad as the CNN coverage I saw later.  They were saying stuff like 'Now will the external tank separate with the solid rocket boosters gentlemen?' and 'Look at those boosters! Faaabulous!'  Yeah...headache.  You'd think they'd know it themselves and know that we know.  That way they wouldn't feel compelled to talk.  That's why NASA PAO is there.
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Offline Austin

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RE: Live Challenger CNN video..
« Reply #14 on: 02/27/2007 11:32 pm »
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nathan.moeller - 27/2/2007  12:02 PM

Quote
Austin - 27/2/2007  8:53 AM

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nathan.moeller - 27/2/2007  6:29 AM


My friend Gary and I watched the STS-116 launch via FOX News

My apologies!!

  :)

It wasn't as bad as the CNN coverage I saw later.  They were saying stuff like 'Now will the external tank separate with the solid rocket boosters gentlemen?' and 'Look at those boosters! Faaabulous!'  Yeah...headache.  You'd think they'd know it themselves and know that we know.  That way they wouldn't feel compelled to talk.  That's why NASA PAO is there.

Watching network coverage requires a lot of patience from those of us who know a little something about the program!
 ;)

Offline FatherRob

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Re: Live Challenger CNN video..
« Reply #15 on: 03/02/2007 10:29 pm »
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gordo - 27/2/2007  10:21 AM

I've got and hour or so of UK coverage from a few mins after it happend.  Will dig it out and put it up in the next day or 2.

Tim Furness got the cause spot-on a few hours later on a TV news Special, he picked up the plume from the SRB.

Now there is some footage I'd love to see if you can find a way to post it!

Rob+
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Offline ShuttleDiscovery

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Re: Live Challenger CNN video..
« Reply #16 on: 03/12/2007 06:53 pm »
Going back to people not knowing what was happening when Challenger exploded, a book I have by David M. Harland named 'The Story of the Space Shuttle' states that many spectators where cheering as they thought it was a nominal staging event.

The book also says that one or two watched and muttered 'RTLS', but this was imposibble as no shuttle appeared from the explosion afterwards.

Thanks :)

Offline astronaut23

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Re: Live Challenger CNN video..
« Reply #17 on: 03/13/2007 06:47 am »
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that many spectators where cheering as they thought it was a nominal staging event.

Thats pretty damn sad that people were cheering a launch failure.

They hadn't paid very much attention to previous shuttle launches because SRB's don't just wander off in a Y shaped pattern from the nominal exhaust trail and they certainly don't separate from the vehicle that soon.

At either rate its pretty obvious thats not a nominal event.

Offline gordo

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Re: Live Challenger CNN video..
« Reply #18 on: 03/13/2007 07:43 am »
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astronaut23 - 13/3/2007  8:47 AM

Quote
that many spectators where cheering as they thought it was a nominal staging event.

Thats pretty damn sad that people were cheering a launch failure.

They hadn't paid very much attention to previous shuttle launches because SRB's don't just wander off in a Y shaped pattern from the nominal exhaust trail and they certainly don't separate from the vehicle that soon.

At either rate its pretty obvious thats not a nominal event.

I think thats a bit unfair, they cheered for a few seconds at what they thought was SRB sep, then the joy turned to despair when the realised the fate of their loved ones. If you watch the video, you see quite a lot of people knew something had went wrong instantly.

Offline astrobrian

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Re: Live Challenger CNN video..
« Reply #19 on: 03/13/2007 02:17 pm »
As a 9 year old at the time I too though it was something normal and was confused afterwards not realizing what had happened.

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